The Dance
by Harry50
Summary: Many girls ask Harry to choose them as his date for the Yule ball, but he chooses the one that surprised him the most, eventually finding much more than he could initially hope for. [Harry, Daphne], [Neville, Hermione]
1. Lessons

**Disclaimer:** As my name is nor J.K. Rowling, you know I don't hold the rights to Harry Potter universe. I only play in it for my fun and hopefully yours too.

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 **1 Lessons**

"Will you consider inviting me to the Yule ball?"

Harry had already heard this question multiple times. Most Gryffindor girls from third to fifth year had asked it, as well as most Ravenclaw girls and a few from Hufflepuff. Surprisingly, even some Slytherin girls approached him with the same question. Harry answered as politely as he could. "I will consider you, yet you should know that I have no former experience in dancing. If you really want to dance, then you should find some other partner for the Ball."

Yet this time he was most surprised, as the one who asked was no other than the Slytherin Ice Queen – Daphne Greengrass. Still, he gave her his regular answer because it was true, as far as he was concerned. He didn't really want to go to the Ball with his non-existent dancing abilities.

She only rolled her eyes, as if in annoyance, before replying. "You have to go to that Ball, as you are a champion, even if against your will. You already know that you will eventually go to the Ball. You could do worse than to take me as your partner."

"But... you probably know how to dance. You can't enjoy dancing with me, though. I've never learned dancing and I'll probably hurt your feet, stepping on them all the time."

"That only means I have to teach you how to dance."

His mind was finally re-engaged. He looked at Daphne again. He knew she was a very attractive girl. Had he been able to dance, he would have certainly liked her as his partner. But then... she had just said she would teach him...

"If you manage to make me dance properly then I'll be honored if you accept me as your date," he said.

"Are you suggesting that you'll only take me if I succeed in teaching you?" There was a hint of amusement in her voice.

"No, really," he quickly reassured her. "I just don't want to step on your toes all evening. I don't think you would enjoy it either"

"Well, you've now given me the right incentive to make sure that my date dances properly. Let's find an empty room and start practicing!"

"But why are you interested in me at all? You're Slytherin's most sought after girl while I'm a Gryffindor. It may cause you trouble."

"It may cause trouble to anybody who tries to interfere." It was evident why she was called the Ice Queen behind her back. "As for my reasons... Let's say that I have some personal interest in you. You may find more later, if you behave."

With that she opened the door of the nearest unused classroom and dragged him in.

It was the first time he was so close to Daphne and he found that she looked just as beautiful as when seen from farther away. She also smelled nice. It wasn't the same fragrance as Hermione's, but it smelled just as nice and had the same undertone of old parchment. He had already known that Daphne was as serious a student as Hermione and almost as bright.

Daphne wasted no time. She showed Harry the basic position of dancing, where he should put his hand (and where his hands would be hexed if he let them wander) and how he should hold her. She then started humming a tune to start dancing. It was a (very) slow dance, allowing Harry to get accustomed to holding her and moving in tandem with her. He still managed to step on her toes once.

She was quite strict while teaching him how to dance, just as he had expected, based on her behavior in class and on what Hermione had told him about classes she had with Daphne. Still, holding this extremely beautiful girl close for the dance was enough for Harry to accept whatever verbal lashing she had for him. She did put some reinforcing charms on her shoes after the first dance, just to be on the safe side.

In a way, Daphne was reminding him of Hermione. She was just as strict and as helpful as his closest friend. Had it not been for her green rimmed robes, her fuller bust and her different hair, he could almost believe it was Hermione who was teaching him. He didn't express his feelings, though. He wasn't sure how the pureblood girl would accept a comparison with a muggleborn.

"Granger has told me you would prove quite good, although I had difficulties believing her," she said after almost an hour.

"You mean I did well?"

"Well enough for the first lesson. I expect you to improve tremendously before the Ball." She sounded just as strict, but Harry could almost swear that he saw a smile appear for a fraction of a second, making her even more beautiful.

"I didn't know you were friends with Hermione," he noted.

"Not really friends," and Harry thought he heard an almost silent "yet" there, "but we are on good speaking terms. I had to ask her a bit about you before deciding."

"I still don't know why you choose to go with me," he said.

"Is it that important?"

Harry was dead serious now. "With my history, having to fight for my life at least once a year since coming to Hogwarts, I think I'm allowed some suspicion, especially since Slytherin house has never been too friendly with me."

"You'd be surprised to find how many Slytherin girls harbor more than friendly feelings towards you," Daphne said with a tight smile. "I'd really like to learn more about your adventures, as all I've heard were rumors, but we have to get ready for the ball first. I promise that I have no sinister plans for you and am not going to endanger your life unless you put your hands where you shouldn't." There was some mischief in her voice when she said the last words, yet she turned serious again. "I'm willing to give you a magical oath if you want."

"I'll accept your words, yet I'm still wondering about you."

Mischief was now evident in her smile. "Women always need to keep some secrets, if only to make the men more interested."

Harry nodded in understanding. Most of the girls his age were really more women than girls already, although most boys were still quite childish.

Daphne turned all business again. "I'll leave now. Wait here a few minutes before you leave. I think it's best to keep our date secret until the Ball."

That was quite understandable. He wasn't sure how she would be able to stay in the Slytherin dorms after the ball, if she associated with him. Daphne seemed to consider something and then added, "You may only tell Granger, if you like, but nobody else, and certainly not Weasley."

Harry knew it would be extremely difficult for Ron to accept this date, especially if it turned to be anything more than mere dancing for an evening, as he was starting to secretly hope. "I will speak with nobody but Hermione about this," he promised.

Hermione managed to talk with him after dinner, when Ron was occupied with Seamus and Dean. She grabbed his hand and led him to a secluded corner of the common room. She cast some privacy shields before talking. "Has Daphne Greengrass talked with you?"

"Yes. She even started teaching me how to dance."

"Very good! I think she really likes you. Have you accepted her as your date for the Ball?"

"She hardly gave me any choice," he said apologetically.

"Don't worry. I believe most boys will just envy you, dating the 'Ice Queen'."

"As if I need any more attention. Do you have a date for the Ball?"

Hermione smiled mysteriously. "What do you think?"

"Well, by the way you smile I'm sure you have a date, probably one nobody expects. Who is he?"

She just shook her head. "Well, Mr. Potter, you'll just have to wait for the Ball like everybody else."

"It's not fair," he pouted. "You know who my date is but you refuse to tell me who is your date."

Hermione gave it a thought. "I can only tell you he is one of the famous seekers currently at Hogwarts."

Harry didn't need to think about it. "Krum?"

"Well, I'm speaking now with the only other famous seeker at school."

"But how?"

"Not now! I'll eventually tell you, but it would probably happen after the Ball."

\/\/\/\/

Despite Daphne's confidence, keeping their meetings secret proved to be difficult. They had to arrive and leave at different times, use secluded rooms in seldom used corridors and not raise any suspicion. Harry wasn't sure how Daphne was coping, but Ron's questions were starting to unnerve him.

"Where have you been the whole afternoon?" Ron asked him at dinner.

"I've been practicing for the second task."

"Have you solved the clue in the egg already?"

"No, but whatever it is, I need to practice so that I cast my spells more powerfully and more precisely. My life may depend on that."

Ron nodded reluctantly. As much as he liked doing better with his casting, it was just too much work and no fun at all.

\/\/\/\/

"It's quite Slytherin of you to keep silent about your ancestry," Daphne told him as they were dancing. He was no longer stepping on her toes, but he was still too rigid. Some small talk during the dance could help, she thought.

"I know nothing about my ancestry. I didn't even know I was a wizard before getting the Hogwarts letter."

"You didn't know? Who raised you in such ignorance?"

Harry lowered his head. It was something he didn't like to talk about, but now it seemed inevitable. "My muggle aunt and uncle."

She seemed furious about it, asking further. "But now you know everything, don't you?"

He shook his head with embarrassment. "I only know a few bits that the headmaster and Hagrid had told me and some from Professor Lupin." He didn't want to mention Sirius yet.

"Then I think it's about time you learn some more. Don't you know that the library holds a family book of each of the prominent families. Yours is one of them."

"Hermione never told me."

"She wouldn't know, being a muggleborn. It's on the left, as you enter, between the left corner and Madam Pince's position. Nobody likes to go so near her."

Harry smiled. "Yes, not even Hermione." He turned serious again. "You think I should read it?"

"That's the least you should do. Once done, I'm sure you'll find some more information in your vault."

Harry looked bewildered. "My trust vault only holds money, nothing else."

She shook her head. "Not your trust vault – that's only for your tuition and your expenses at school. I mean, your main vault."

"I've never heard of it."

She frowned again. "Being the last of your line, you should have gained access to that vault at your twelfth birthday. I think I should ask Dad to look into this."

"I really appreciate your concern, but why do you even care?"

Daphne stopped dancing. "Potter, when a girl accepts a date, she usually thinks of a possible future with her date. As such, I'd like to make sure that you have access to all your assets and are not exploited by somebody else."

Harry smirked. "You were the one initiating the date."

"Then it's even more important to me. Besides, I never initiated this. I only accepted your reluctant offer. Is that clear?"

Harry nodded silently. He still had a lot to learn, but he had already learned that Daphne was much more than she seemed to be. He actually liked finding new aspects of her and was waiting anxiously for each meeting with her.

He spent most of the weekend in the library, to Ron's dismay. It was not difficult finding the Potter family book and Hermione was more than eager to read it along with him. He noticed Daphne taking a glimpse into the library and nodding approvingly after seeing him there.

It was also very enlightening. Just trying to follow the family tree gave him a lot of insight into the wizarding world and its intricacies. He found out that his great-grandmother was born Black, for example. He found some connection to almost every high-ranking magical family: Longbottom, Bones, Lovegood and even Weasley. Yet going farther on the family tree gave him the real surprises. The founder of the Potter house came from the French DePoitiers family. His descendants married into the Gryffindor and Peverell lines, making the Potter eventually the only living descendants of those families. What surprised him even more was finding that one of his ancestors married the only surviving granddaughter of Salazar Slytherin.

It intrigued him and made him search for another family book – the Gaunt, believed to be Slytherin descendants.

Checking the Gaunt tree he found two discontinuities, where the name passed by conquest. The last Gaunts had no blood connection to Slytherin, yet the Potters had it. This gave him a very different view of his second year. He still wasn't sure if he should be proud of his Slytherin ancestry or keep it as secret as possible, yet it was something to research and to think about.

The Potter book had several chapters describing the political connections of the family. Longbottom was the oldest and most prominent ally. Bones and McGonagall were also close to the top while Weasley appeared close to the bottom, with a comment, "Not always wise". He was surprised to find the Greengrass in the list and quite high in it. Had Daphne known?

He had a chance to ask her when they met for the daily dance practice. Daphne only smiled enigmatically and didn't say anything.

\/\/\/\/

Harry was already dancing quite well, really, and Daphne was focusing on improving his social skills more than his dancing, yet it all made sense to Harry. "A Ball is not only about dancing," she explained. "It is more about seeing and being seen, about making the right impression on other participants, about finding new allies and intimidating enemies." Learning the Slytherin view of the magical world was fascinating, even if frightening, occasionally.

"I wrote to Dad about you. He suggests to take you to Gringotts after the Ball, so you can claim your vaults and your position."

"We're stuck at Hogwarts. How can I go to Gringotts?"

"We can leave for home after the Ball. There's a train specifically for those who'd like to spend the New Year with family and friends. You can come home with me. Dad said I could invite you if I wanted."

"I don't think the Headmaster will allow it..."

"He doesn't need to know. Then, Dad can come to Hogsmeade and you can use the Floo or he can apparate you both to Gringotts, even if you stay at school."

Harry was still unsure. His traditional distrust of Slytherin had not changed much after finding about his ancestry. He still suspected all former Slytherin of being Death Eaters or Voldemort sympathizers. Yet Daphne seemed to be nice and quite caring. She had even hinted at thinking of a future with him, which seemed to be an interesting prospect. The more he spent time with her, the more he seemed to like the idea. Daphne was not only nice to look at. She was smart, witty and funny. He was also becoming aware of her femininity and it affected him in ways he couldn't understand, although he liked it.

Daphne didn't mention the subject again that day, but she asked him the next time, after they finished their practice, "Will you join me for the New-Year at home? There's bound to be a Ball in our house and I loath looking for another dance partner."

"Are you sure about it?" He saw her rolling her eyes and change expression. "I'll come," he said hurriedly, dreading her wrath, "if the headmaster won't stop me."

Her expression changed again. She smiled at him and he felt his heart flutter. "You don't need to tell the headmaster or anybody else. I'll make sure you enjoy your vacation."

She then surprised him again, by kissing his cheek before leaving the room. He didn't understand why she did it, but it was really nice, maybe even more than nice. He kept touching that spot on his cheek all the way to the Great Hall.

Daphne seemed to become closer, Harry thought. She didn't kiss him again, but she was no longer tense in his company. She even put her head on his shoulder while dancing and moved her body closer to his. Harry was afraid she would be offended by the way his body was reacting to her proximity, yet Daphne didn't seem to mind. She sometimes even moved in ways that assured friction between her and the ungainly bulge in his trousers. He wasn't sure if it was deliberate. He couldn't see the smirk on her face, hidden on his shoulder.

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	2. Yule Ball

For a while, FFF didn't let me post a new chapter. Now it seems to be fixed, so here it is:

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 **2 The Yule Ball**

"Have you found a date for the Ball?" Ron asked him.

"Sure! Have you?"

"No. I thought of maybe asking Hermione. I don't think anybody has asked her. Who'd be interested in a bookworm?"

'You'd be surprised,' Harry thought. "Why don't you ask her and see for yourself?"

Ron returned a few minutes later, looking furious. "She rejected me! Said she already had a date, but wouldn't tell me who. I'm sure she lied!"

Harry felt offended for Hermione. "She doesn't lie. If she says that she has a date then she must have one. You should look elsewhere."

Ron looked suspiciously at Harry. "Are you her date? You should have told me!"

"No, Ron. I'll be with somebody else at the Ball, and you should find a date as well."

Ron looked quite grumpy. "Maybe Ginny can suggest one of her classmates. I'd better ask her now."

\/\/\/\/

Just too soon, the dreaded evening arrived. Despite having Daphne as his date, or maybe because of it, Harry felt quite tense. He wasn't sure he could dance as well as she was expecting. He didn't want to disappoint her in any way. Somehow, her opinion had become more important to him than anybody's else, although he wondered why. He also dreaded the reaction to them being together. Ron, as well as most Gryffindor students, would not understand at all. Ron would think Daphne had bewitched Harry to be with her, that she had some sinister motives for that. The Slytherins wouldn't react much better. Having one of their pure-blood princesses date the Gryffindor Golden Boy, a half-blood, would make her target to nasty remarks, at least. He didn't want Daphne to suffer any harm. He swore in his heart to protect her, no matter what.

He and Hermione were the last to leave the common room. "Relax, Harry. Daphne wouldn't have stuck with you if you were any less than perfect for her."

"But what if Ron or Malfoy try to hex her?"

"Let them try! She's better in charms than any of them and as good in DADA as I am. I wouldn't worry."

"Yet you are almost as tense as me," he shot back. "Why?"

"I've never been the date of an international star. It is somewhat stressing."

"You've been getting a lot of attention just being my friend. You'll be alright, I'm sure," he tried to calm her a bit.

She smiled nervously. "I hope you're right."

It went smoother than they had both expected. Fleur went first, with her date, followed by Victor and Hermione. Everybody seemed to look at her, either admiring the way she looked or just envying her, for getting a date with an international celebrity, until Fleur let a bit of her allure loose, just enough to move most of the attention from Hermione, who later thanked her. Cedric and Cho followed, getting more applause than the other champions. Then it was time for Harry to go in with Daphne. He heard some cheers as his name was announced and then there was a deafening silence, once he passed the door, holding Daphne's hand.

The silence lasted almost until they reached the champions' table. It then turned into a thunderous whisper, as everybody seemed to comment about the unexpected couple.

"You do know how to make an entrance," Cedric said to him with a wink. "What made you two come together?"

It was Daphne who answered. "I just looked for the most adorable champion and he couldn't resist my charms."

Cedric laughed at her explanation, not believing it for a moment. Hermione just smiled. She knew this was closer to reality than any other explanation that could be given.

Daphne seemed to enjoy herself. She freely talked with Hermione and Cho; she tried some of her French with Fleur, as did Hermione; she talked amiably with Viktor Krum and even joked with Cedric Diggory, while Harry was dragged into each conversation, yet he felt quite natural, to his surprise.

Once the meal was over, it was time for the opening dance. Harry felt his nervousness rise. "Just imagine we are still practicing," Daphne whispered in his ear. "You're already a better dancer than most. Relax and enjoy holding me close."

Harry just nodded, not too sure. The music started. Daphne walked into his embrace. Everything else seemed to suddenly fade away. He danced perfectly. Not for the audience; not in order to prove he could; he only danced so Daphne would enjoy her time with him. And it was wonderful. They danced together for most of the evening. They only exchanged partners twice, so that Harry could dance with Hermione, first, and then with Fleur, who also wished to dance with him.

Ron was sitting at the side. Ginny had managed to find him a date with Luna Lovegood, but even Luna wouldn't stand listening to his rants about Harry and Hermione "associating with the enemy". Finding himself alone, as his other dorm-mates danced with their dates, didn't improve his mood. He was furious and angry at the whole world and especially at his two best friends.

Daphne's feet started aching eventually and she felt too hot from dancing. "Let's go to the garden to cool out and let our feet relax for a while. There's also something I want to tell you," she suggested.

They found a secluded bench in the garden. Daphne cast a few spells around while Harry was just admiring her dress and the parts it didn't hide. He failed to notice when she stunned a bug which was perching on a nearby leaf. He didn't fail to notice when she sat down and asked him to sit as close to her as possible.

Daphne cuddled into his embrace. "Do you like being with me?"

"Sure I do! You're beautiful and smart and funny and I feel lucky you persuaded me to be your date..." she frowned and he corrected immediately, "... I feel lucky I managed to convince you to be my date." She smiled in reward. "I know you can also be fierce, demanding and intimidating and I appreciate the way you used these qualities to make me a better date."

Her smile broadened. "You really are sweet when you try a bit." She then turned serious again.

"I promised to tell you why I was interested in you. I'm not sure this is the right time, but I think you deserve to know."

Harry looked expectantly at her.

"When I was a little girl, I thought I'll find my handsome wizard and fall in love with him, like all little girls dream. Then, just before starting Hogwarts, my parents told me NOT to associate with boys, as I had a marriage contract since I was a baby. I've already heard about such contracts, but I thought my parents loved me enough not to force me into a contract. I was so appalled by the idea that I wasn't even interested to know who I was promised to."

Harry frowned. "I thought this archaic custom had long since been eliminated. It's really unfair to you and probably to the other party as well. What can you do?"

She smiled apprehensively. "That was all that I was thinking of throughout the first year. I checked books and discreetly asked other girls. Nobody could help me. I was bitter and quick to anger and that brought me my 'Ice Queen' reputation, which eventually proved quite beneficial."

"There really should be a way out for you. Can I do anything to help you?"

Her smile broadened and Harry thought there was some mischief in it as well. "It turns out you can, though I'm not sure it would be needed. You see, it was only after the second year, after you've done something extraordinary, which I'm not yet sure I have all the information about, that my parents talked with me about the contract again. They said that a couple of good friend of theirs, at the time, had a boy only a few weeks before I was born. As his mother was an old friend of my mother – since first year, and his father was a business associate of my father, both couples decided to make a contract to assure the well-being of both children. My parents were supposed to be his guardians, in case his parents died, and his parents were to become my guardians in the inverse case."

This sounded like a reasonable agreement, except for deciding the fate of the children without their consent.

"Dad also showed me the contract. It had several clauses that could allow each party to get out of the contract with only token penalties if it proved unsuitable for me or for the boy by the time we both reached eighteen. This calmed me down a bit. It still took my parents more than a year to persuade me to try and get to know my fiancé. Now I think I'm getting to like him."

Harry looked confused. "If you like him, then why are you with me?"

Daphne just gave him a long enigmatic smile, yet Harry only felt more confused. Eventually she decided to give him some more information.

"His parents died at Halloween, about a year later, yet somehow his guardianship passed to somebody else. My parents tried to change it, but failed."

Harry felt this was getting too close to his story, yet he doubted that his proud Gryffindor parents could have anything to do with a Slytherin couple. Daphne could see the turmoil in his eyes. She then added softly, "My mother was a Ravenclaw. She befriended Lily Evans since before the sorting ceremony. The Potter estate still controls about half of my Dad's business."

It finally clicked into place in Harry's mind, although it seemed too weird to believe. "You mean that we are promised to each other?"

"Yes, but if any of us wants out of it, then, once we come of age, we can cancel the contract with no real effect on us. If we don't cancel it, then we must get married before our twenty-first birthday."

It suddenly didn't look so bad. He was getting to like Daphne since they started practicing. She was just as good a company as Hermione and even more attractive and much more knowledgeable in the ways of the wizarding world. She was also beautiful and he had already felt how curvy she was. He had also noticed some envious glances towards him, once he was seen with Daphne at his side. He could give it a chance, at least.

He tightened his embrace. She didn't seem to mind. "I think I like you. Maybe we should give this a chance, although I have no experience at dating."

She seemed to relax in his embrace. "I have no dating experience either, but if we are attentive to each other, I think it can turn quite nice."

She looked so beautiful! Harry just couldn't resist. He bent his head, his lips going closer to hers. Daphne met him midway.

It was a chaste kiss. Not much more than a peck. They parted almost as soon as they touched, yet there was a definite change both felt. They were no longer the Gryffindor Golden Boy and the Slytherin Ice Queen. They were now the future Lord and Lady Potter.

They looked each other in the eye for a bit longer. "How about some more dancing?" Harry finally asked.

"That would be nice," she said, straightening up. Harry stood up and helped her to her feet before they returned hand in hand to the Great Hall.

Harry didn't notice the passage of time. He was holding his fiancée, moving in tune with the music and feeling content. Then the music stopped. It took them some time to notice they were the only couple still hugging on the dance floor. Both blushed as they disengaged, yet they still held hands.

"Will you be safe in your dorms?" Harry asked.

"I'll be safe, at least for tonight. We leave early in the morning, while most will still be asleep. Just make sure you're ready on time."

"I will be," he promised solemnly.

When he arrived to the Gryffindor common room, after escorting Daphne all the way to the Slytherin dungeons, he found only Hermione there. She was crying.

"What happened, Hermione?" he asked as he sat at her side on the sofa.

"Ron happened! The git just can't understand how we both 'associated with the enemy'. I had to use a silencing hex to stop him, as he won't listen to any logical explanation. Then Ginny and the twins took over." She smiled despite her tears.

Harry shuddered. Both Ginny and the twins were not known for subtlety. He wondered in what condition he would find Ron in the dormitory. Yet he needed to cheer Hermione first.

"Have you enjoyed the ball?"

"Oh, yes! It was fantastic! Viktor is a good dancer, although not as good as you, and I also enjoyed dancing with Cedric and with Neville. I believe you have enjoyed the ball too, haven't you?"

He smiled widely. "Daphne was really fabulous. I think you two were the most attractive girls at the ball, although dancing with Fleur was also nice."

"Will you continue dating?"

Harry looked pensive. "I surely hope so. Daphne is really nice, once you get to know her, although she can be even more intimidating than you, if she chooses so."

This made her laugh. She looked very beautiful now and very feminine. Almost as attractive as Daphne. She then yawned, hiding it with her hand. "I just wanted to know how it was. I think we're both tired enough to go to bed now. We'll speak in the morning..."

"Oh... I'm not sure about that. You see, I'm leaving for the rest of the winter vacation. We'll have to talk after I return. Good night, for now."

"Good night, Harry, and enjoy your vacation." She was already too tired to ask more questions. Harry watched her almost stumble on the stairs as she climbed to her room. He then went to his and didn't even spare a look at Ron, who was snoring on the adjacent bed, his hair and his face showing bands of green and silver.

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	3. Parents

**3 Parents**

The train ride was a dream. Literally. They settled in the first empty compartment they found. Daphne cuddled as close to Harry as she could. He hugged her even closer and they both fell asleep as soon as the train started moving. They only woke up when the train was slowing down, approaching its destination. They both felt refreshed. Their nightly sleep had been just too short, and the time on board gave them a chance to complete their rest.

Harry felt quite apprehensive at meeting her parents – his future parents-in-law, if everything went well. He was suddenly aware of his clothes, those 'hand-me-down's from Dudley, of his eyeglasses, which were still in one piece only due to some of Hermione's magic, and of his uncombable hair. He wished he was more prepared for the meeting, able to make a better impression. Daphne had already heard a few bits and pieces about his life with the Dursleys, but he didn't yet tell her most of it. He didn't know how much her parents knew, though.

Daphne dragged him out as soon as the train stopped. She immediately identified the man standing aside from the crowd as her father and walked quickly towards him. He kissed her forehead and hugged her shortly.

"Hi, honey. Your Mom preferred to wait for you at home. Now, will you make the introductions?"

"Dad, I'm pleased to introduce Harry James Potter to you. Harry, this is my father, Cygnus Greengrass."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Lord Potter. Last time I saw you, you were still teething." The smile on Cygnus's face was warm and welcoming, making Harry relax a bit.

"I'm also glad to meet you, after what Daphne has told me about you. And please call me Harry."

"Very well, but then you should call me Cygnus, or, if you wish, Dad." There was a dual meaning in that, as Harry knew this man was going to become his father-in-law but he was also the one intended by his parents to become his guardian. It brought some tears to his eyes, which he could barely hold.

Without further talking, they all used the Floo to go to Greengrass Manor. Harry tumbled and skidded on the floor as he arrived, but the two house elves that were waiting there straightened him up and brushed all soot from his clothes before he could even notice.

Lady Stella Greengrass was waiting for them. She hugged her daughter warmly and looked her all over, as if searching for any changes since she last saw her. She then turned to Harry with open arms and a warm smile. "So, you must be Harry. You look so much like your father at your age! I'm glad you agreed to come."

Daphne still made a short formal introduction. "Mom – Harry Potter; Harry, my mother, Stella Greengrass, née Evergreen."

Harry thought he would either kiss her hand or shake it, but Stella just stepped forward and Hugged him as tightly as she had hugged Daphne. "It's so good you can finally be here!" she said.

Harry felt a bit confused. Although he already knew that the "Ice Queen" was just a façade, a mask, intended to keep the boys away from Daphne, under which a very warm person was hidden, finding her parents to be so warm and welcoming was still surprising. It was a nice surprise, but a surprise nevertheless.

"Come, I'll show you to your room," Daphne urged him, taking his hand. They ascended to the upper floor, where several doors were visible around a central hall. "This is the master bedroom," Daphne pointed at the large double door in the center. "The family rooms are to the right while the guest rooms are on the left. This is my room," she pointed at the door adjacent to the master bedroom, and then my sister's and my brother's."

"You have siblings?" he wondered loudly.

She smiled. "Haven't I just said so? My sister is second year. She didn't stay for the ball and is now visiting my aunt, along with my six-years old brother."

She then pointed at a door on the left. "This room is saved for visitors from the family. My uncles usually use it when they visit. It's yours for this vacation."

The room was quite large. It had a double bed in the middle, a walk-in wardrobe and an attached bathroom. Harry noted many books on the shelves around a desk at one side. He was surprised to see a regular telephone perching on the desk.

"Both my father and his brothers have many Muggle business associates. The telephone is a necessary tool for them," Daphne explained, noticing his surprise. "Some of the rooms on the upper floor even have electric lights, to accommodate some squib relatives. Most wizarding folks try to disregard this, but almost every magical family has some squib members."

She let him set in the room and refresh a little before supper. Half an hour later, they all assembled in the dining room on the ground floor.

Dinner was peaceful. There was some talking in-between servings, but it was calm, unlike what Harry had seen at the Weasley household and a far cry from how the Dursleys behaved. Harry mostly listened as the elder Greengrass updated Daphne on some family gossip and she elaborated about the Ball and about how she had told Harry of the contract. She skipped over the kiss, though.

They moved to the family room for the after-dinner tea. Daphne sat on a couch and signaled Harry to sit with her. Once he sat, Daphne cuddled with him, similar to the way her mother was cuddling with Cygnus, who smiled understandingly.

"It seems like you two are becoming a couple," he noted.

"We are promised, aren't we?" Daphne retorted.

He chuckled. "Having known both your parents, Harry, I was sure that Daphne would find you irresistible, once you both reached puberty. Knowing my mother and my wife, I was sure Daphne would also become irresistible for you. It looks like I was right."

"Daphne is certainly a very attractive young woman," Harry said, "and she's also smart and witty and quite intimidating, if she wants to."

"Hey! I'm here!" she said, cuddling even tighter.

"I've already said the same to you," Harry answered softly.

Cygnus chuckled again. "It's nice to see that the plans your parents devised are finally becoming real. Now, I think you should first go to Gringotts and claim your inheritance, as the Ministry won't do anything to help you. You can join me tomorrow morning, as I need to go to Diagon Alley, if that's alright with you."

Harry shrugged. "Daphne suggested it and she's probably right. Will you come with me?"

"No, Harry. Despite being quite close, I'm not a family member. It's not my place to be present when you're told about your financial assets."

"Can Daphne come? She's my betrothed, so that should be fine."

Cygnus shook his head. "She's not your wife yet and the goblins would tell you nothing until she leaves the room. Only after you get all the information you may give them instruction to allow others some limited access to your assets."

"I've never been alone with the goblins," Harry stated, somewhat dejectedly.

"It's not too bad. I assume they will treat you even nicer than they treat me, having one of the major accounts in the bank. Just make sure to be polite and respectful, as they are a proud nation. They don't like wizards too much, as most treat them badly. Act nicely and you'll get all the help they can give."

\/\/\/\/

Cygnus took Harry by side-along apparition to Diagon Alley. The morning was cold and a bit windy, allowing Harry to cover his head and attract no attention. "I'll wait for you at the Leaky Cauldrun, or, if you finish first – wait for me there," Cygus told him before they went each his way.

\/\/\/\/

Harry looked very pensive during lunch. Cygnus looked at him with some worry, but didn't say anything. Daphne was also worried. She kept her concerns well hidden during lunch, but once they were alone she waited no longer. "What is it, Harry? Why are you so moody? Have you found something amiss at Gringotts?"

Harry smiled reassuringly at her. "I'm alright, really. It's just too much to comprehend and I'm not sure I'm ready for this. Normally, it would have been at least four more years before I would have been introduced to all this stuff, and it would have been done gradually."

Daphne took his hand and led him to a sofa, where she cuddled into him. "Care to share?"

He smiled and caressed her cheek. "I really wanted you to be with me. At least I made sure they would accept you next time." He thought a bit and then straightened as he remembered something. "Oh, I brought you something from my family vault. I hope you like it."

Without letting go of her, he put his free hand into his pocket and took out a small box. "I thought that as my betrothed, you deserve your own elegant engagement ring."

He opened the box and exposed a delicate and elegant ring which seemed very expensive. Daphne gasped as she saw it. Harry continued. "As we are promised to each other and I believe we're also starting to get very close, I believe this ring can show you how deeply I feel for you. When the time comes, if we still feel the same way, we'll have this ring replaced with the wedding band. As for now, please accept this ring as a token of things to come."

Daphne moved her hand forward, allowing Harry to slide the ring on her finger. She was surprised to see a circle of light scanning her from head to toe and vanishing, as the ring re-sized itself to fit her finger. "What was that?"

"The goblins said it had some protection and healing runes on it, removing any binds or other charms cast on the wearer and preventing new ones. You seem to be free of any such problem. When I put on my Lord ring, it stopped several times for quite a bit. I was frightened, but now I feel much stronger and healthier than this morning."

Daphne didn't hesitate. She grabbed Harry's face and kissed him for all her worth. It was some time later, when the two were catching their breath, that she noticed. "What's happened to your scar?"

Harry frowned. "Is anything wrong with it?"

"No, it just seems to have almost disappeared! It is now very faint and almost invisible! That must be good!"

Harry looked pensive. "There was some dark smoke coming out of it when the ring scanned me. I wonder how significant it may be..."

Daphne looked again at Harry, noticing his clothes. "Harry, I think you need to buy some new clothes first of all. It's not becoming a lord to wear these rags. Care for some shopping?"

Her mother was more than willing to help. She apparated with the youngsters to Muggle London, where they spent most of the afternoon in several clothing shops, arriving back home barely on time for dinner.

Cygnus looked apprehensively at Harry. "How was your afternoon?"

"Oh, It was nice. Daphne took me to some muggle clothing shops and I had my wardrobe renewed, with the help of your wife as well."

"You liked it?" There was some disbelief in his tone.

"Yes, it was nice being pampered, for once. Nobody ever cared for me since I can remember."

Dinner was mostly silent. Cygnus looked pensively at his guest while his wife tried to silently communicate her impressions to him. Harry and Daphne didn't seem to notice. They were talking softly with each other and exchanging some smiles.

They were interrupted by one of the elves. "There's a mister Dumbledore who asks to come here through the floo."

Cygnus frowned for a moment before replying, "Let him through and lead him to the waiting room. We'll join him as we finish our meal."

Harry's heart fell. He was sure that the headmaster would force him to go back to Hogwarts. He didn't want to go. He had just started feeling comfortable in this house and wanted to stay some more, as initially planned. Cygnus smiled at him reassuringly before leaving the room with his wife and Daphne held his hand.

A few minutes later, an elf popped near them. "Lord Potter, your presence is requested at the meeting. My master also says you should show your Lord ring."

Daphne smiled. "Dad wants you to put Dumbledore in his place, as your social and political position is much higher than his and he should defer to you. Go on now and remember that you are a Lord, the head of a Most Noble and Ancient House."

As soon as Harry joined, Dumbledore tried acting grandfatherly. "Harry, my boy, I was quite worried about you when I was informed that you left school."

"Headmaster, I believe I was within my rights to take the new-year vacation with friends, and please use my formal title when you address me."

For a moment, Albus failed to keep his mask, showing some anger, before being a grandfather image again. "Of course, Lord Potter. I meant no disrespect. Still, for your protection..."

"I need to care by myself. Hogwarts has not protected me against a troll or a possessed professor during first year; nor against a Basilisk or a fraudulent professor during my second year; a prison fugitive and dementors during the third, or being forced into the tournament this year. I can't trust my protection to you!"

It was clear that Harry had some long standing issues with the headmaster. Albus felt he was losing control and he didn't like it. He would have used some magic to force his way, had he been alone with Harry, but Cygnus was there, as well as his wife, and each was at a different direction. He could not do anything under these circumstances.

"Your friends are also worried..."

"I told Miss Granger that I'm going on vacation. She has no reason to worry. As for Ron – I wouldn't trust his judgment at anything but Chess and maybe Quidditch. I'm sure nobody but him is worried."

"Well, in that case, I hope you have a pleasant vacation and a safe journey back to school after the new year, Lord Potter."

Harry only acknowledged this with a nod. Cygnus escorted the visitor to the floo. Daphne joined Harry a moment later.

"How was it?"

"I think it was fine. I'm still here and only expected back after the vacation."

Daphne smiled. "I knew you could do it!"

Cygnus joined them again. He motioned for Harry to sit down. Daphne cuddled immediately into him, just as her mother did with her mate. "Care to elaborate about the problems you had at school?" Cygnus urged.

Harry didn't like telling about his adventures, yet there was no polite way to refuse. He started to reluctantly tell, starting with first year.

"...and I woke up in the hospital wing," he finished the story of his first year at school, about an hour later.

Cygnus looked furious. He could never imagine such hazards at school. Was the old man turning senile or was he playing some dangerous game? Whatever it was, Cygnus didn't like it a bit.

"I think they need to get some rest now, dear," his wife told him. "Don't forget that he went shopping with me and with Daphne," she added with a wink.

Harry didn't need to be told twice. His eyes were already closing of their own accord. "Goodnight Mom, Dad," he said, feeling a bit odd. "Goodnight, son," both elder Greengrass answered. Daphne did the same and they went to their rooms.

"Give me a goodnight kiss," she asked before parting.

Harry complied gladly. A few minuted later, when Stella peeked in, he was already fast asleep, yet she could still see a smile on his face.

* * *

 **A.N.** About the kiss in previous chapter: It wasn't magical and had no magical or contractual significance, but it mad the two aware of their feelings. That is why they felt as a future lord and lady and not just as boy and girlfriend.

About the bug - Daphne is methodical. She may not know that Rita is a bug animagus, but she's aware of animagi, so she takes precautions.

And as usual - _**Please Review!**_


	4. Stories

**4 Stories**

Harry didn't escape more interrogations the next day. As Cygnus had some business to attend in the morning, it was quite calm and pleasant. Harry spent most of it cuddling with Daphne in front of the fireplace. By noon, Daphne's siblings returned home. Astoria, her sister, wanted Daphne to tell her everything about her new boyfriend and got even more enthusiastic learning of the engagement.

Her brother was too young to care. He only enjoyed getting to know a celebrity – The Boy Who Lived – not really understanding the implications.

It all changed after lunch. The young children were sent to their rooms, despite Astoria's protests, and Cygnus invited Harry to continue telling about his school adventures.

Harry sighed. He didn't like thinking about them and certainly not talking about them, yet there was no polite way to refuse, especially since it was clear that it was not mere curiosity. Harry could feel that Cygnus was very concerned about these events and was fuming about the lack of security at school.

"I assume you've heard about the petrifications during our second year," Harry started. "It was that year that my parsel magic was also exposed, making some think I'm the heir of Slytherin."

Daphne grinned. "You actually are, you know."

Harry smiled at her. "Now I know, yet it wasn't in a positive way at that time, and I wasn't responsible for what happened."

He continued telling about that year. "...and then Malfoy threw the dirty sock at Dobby, freeing him without thinking," Harry finished the story, smiling at the memory.

"Where's Dobby now?" Daphne asked.

"I assume he still works at Hogwarts. I've seen him a few times since."

"Why didn't you bond with him?" Cygnus asked.

"He seems to be proud to be free."

Cygnus shook his head. "He just adores you and doesn't want to impose on you. I'm sure he's not happy. A house-elf needs a master. He needs a magical master so he can survive. A free house elf can't survive for long. Being at Hogwarts may help him stay well longer, but he needs a master eventually. I suggest you ask Dobby if he'd like to bond with you. Also tell him you intend to marry soon after finishing school. You'll see that there's nothing he would like better than bonding with you and serving you and your children. Of course, you already have quite a few house elves. I believe they would also like to meet their master."

"I have house-elves?" Harry was sure that Hermione wouldn't like it, but if they all needed masters, then... well it was too confusing to think of at the moment.

"Of course. There are a few who take care of the Manor. Another helped at Godric Hollow. She should be the first you talk with, I believe. Then there are others, working the fields and the vineyards you have, attending to your castles and other houses and handling the daily businesses. They didn't stop doing this just because their master died and they got a very young one instead."

"How can I get to know them?"

Cygnus smiled. "The head-elf used to be Kopsy. I believe it still is. Try calling for it."

"Kopsy?" Harry wasn't sure about it, yet a moment after he uttered that name, a soft pop was heard and a tall house-elf, wearing an elegant uniform and looking quite impressive, appeared in front of him, bowing slightly.

"What can Kopsy do for Master?"

Harry looked the house elf over. It was clearly well fed and suffered no abuse. Its uniform was clean and in good shape. Its face was showing pride at being called and some curiosity, but no fear. Nothing like he had seen on Dobby or Winky.

"Kopsy, I've just been told that I own house-elves. Do you know how many?"

Kopsy seemed to do some calculations before answering. "There be sixty seven adult house-elves and twelve youngsters. Another is due within a few weeks. Why should Master even bother with the numbers?"

Harry smiled at the small creature. "I've never been aware of having you. It has just been brought to my attention, and I would really like to know that you are all well and see if I can do anything for you."

Kopsy looked surprised. "We are all quite well, Master. We would like it if Master came to visit, at least, at the Manor and the other possessions nearby. We need to feel wanted."

Harry looked at his hosts. "Would it be alright to visit there now?"

Cygnus smiled at the eager teen. "Yes, you may go, but I suggest you take Daphne with you."

"No need to change. We shall only be indoors," Kopsy added.

Harry and Daphne held hands and took Kopsy's hands in their own. A soft pop later, they were gone.

They arrived at the entry hall of what seemed to be a large manor house, or a small palace. Harry thought that this hall was big enough to hold the house on Privet Drive, including the front and back yards, with room to spare.

Kopsy checked the teens, making sure they looked presentable, and then led them to the main hall, which was much larger. It was as high as a three stories house and had a multitude of magical portraits covering its marble walls. In front of them, between the twin stairs leading to the upper floor, was the coat of arms of the Potter house, as a very ornate tapestry. Two rows of house-elves stood just below it.

"These are your elves, the ones on the British Isle. I had no time to summon the others. I'll have to later apologize to them," Kopsy stated. It led Harry forward, introducing each house elf and stating its main and auxiliary roles in the Potter household and businesses. Harry shook hands with each. They all seemed very proud to get to know him. Some even had tears glistening in their eyes.

There were more than thirty house elves there, and Harry was sure he would not remember all the names. Once the introduction was over, Harry stood in front of them. "I'm excited to get to know you all. I hope you forgive me if I don't remember all the names at once. Please call me 'Harry' when you speak to me. I feel 'Master' is too imposing. I'd like to think of you as my friends and all my friends call me by my name."

He noticed some were wiping their tears. "I'd also like you to meet Miss Daphne Greengrass. She is my betrothed and I hope she'll become Mrs. Potter soon after we finish school. Until then, I don't think we shall have much use of the manor and my other houses, although, judging by what I've seen here, you're keeping them very well, so we shall be able to move into any we'd like at a moment's notice. I'm proud of having you help me, my friends."

Kopsy seemed quite teary now. "You've assured not only their loyalty, Harry, but also their love. I think you're going to be a great master."

While the other elves were leaving to continue their assigned tasks, Harry turned to Kopsy. "I need your advice, if you don't mind. There is that house-elf that I helped get free from an abusive master. He seemed to be glad to become a free elf. Should I offer him to bond with me?"

Kopsy didn't need to think. "Dobby would like nothing better. I'd also suggest you extend a similar offer to Winky. She needs a good master now, and Dobby seems to be quite fond of her."

Harry wasn't surprised that Kopsy knew so much. He had already noticed that house elves knew much more than one would expect. "Then, I'll do it after going back to school. Now, Kopsy, I'm not sure about how to think of you, as neither your name nor your uniform tells me your gender."

Kopsy smiled brightly. "Kopsy is a female. I've already brought four elfings to the Potter estate, and I hope, now that we've finally got you, to be able to bring at least another one, with your permission."

"Neither you nor the others need my permission to do what you feel like," Harry said, blushing nicely, "and you have my blessing if you want it."

After a short tour, covering the ballroom, the official dining room, the family room and the master bedroom, Kopsy took them back to the Greengrass home, where his hosts were waiting to hear some more, yet wanted first to hear the youngsters' impressions of their short visit.

"It's fabulous," Daphne said, "and the house elves were so friendly! I felt really welcome. It looks like a place I'd like to live in, at least part-time, after we marry." She blushed a bit at her own words.

"Well, it is probably the most elegant of the Potter dwellings, yet I'm not sure it is the best suited for raising a family. It is best for throwing a ball, though," Stella said.

"Which brings us back to your stories," Cygnus said. "It was at such a ball that I first met Sirius, whose escape from Azkaban caused the trouble you had during your third year, if I heard correctly."

"Yes. Sirius Black escaped during the summer after my second year. As the Ministry believed he was targeting me, they decided to put dementors around the school for protection. A dubious decision even for a twelve-years old."

He continued telling about his encounter with dementors on the train, finding Sirius, fighting the dementors and finally rescuing Sirius and Buckbeak.

Everybody was silent for quite a few minutes. Finally, Cygnus spoke. "So, you say that Sirius is innocent, and if it wasn't for Snape and for the full moon, Sirius could be cleared and Pettigrew convicted instead?"

"That's right. Sirius is innocent and Pettigrew escaped as the rat he is, once again. The minister wouldn't believe any of this, of course, and the great Dumbledore was unable or unwilling to convince him. Sirius didn't ever get a chance to prove his innocence. He was just imprisoned for many years without a trial, and our esteemed Chief Warlock was not bothered at all by this injustice. Yet he still preaches doing things 'for the Greater Good,' whatever that might be."

Cygnus thought for a moment. "If you allow, I may use my influence in the Wizengamot to assure Sirius gets his trial. I'll need your help, though. I need you to assign me as your representative and claim your rights there, freeing several seats from the Ministry's clutches. That should give us enough leverage to assure justice."

"I'll do it," Harry said solemnly. "Even if I no longer need a guardian, I still need my Godfather."

Daphne caught on to another part of his story. "Can you really produce a corporeal patronus?"

"Of course. I wouldn't be here had I not been able to do it."

"Can you show me?" Her question caught the attention of her parents as well.

Harry took out his wand and concentrated on the Yule Ball and on holding Daphne close. "Expecto Patronum!" he said confidently, producing a beautiful, life-sized stag. The silvery apparition looked around and then strode to Daphne and lowered its head, as if asking her to stroke it. Daphne couldn't resist. She petted the animal's head between the horns, feeling as if it was a real, living creature. She let go after a few strokes. The stag looked around again and then disintegrated slowly, becoming a silvery cloud before disappearing altogether.

"That was magnificent!" Cygnus said. "I'm not sure I could produce such a patronus at your age. It is still quite difficult for me even now."

"And it felt as if it was a living animal," Daphne added. "Can you teach me?" she asked.

"I would be honored," he bowed with a flourish.

Cygnus put them back in line. "We've already heard about you being chosen as the fourth champion, but I would still like to hear your side of the story."

It didn't take Harry long to tell about this. He also told them about the first task and about the egg with the unintelligible clue.

Cygnus laughed a bit. "Well, outflying a dragon is an idea fit for a Gryffindor, I'm sure at least Snape has told you so. It needs a lot of courage and self confidence, besides having a good broom."

"Well, my broom is the best, as far as I know. Sirius bought it for me. I knew I could fly well. The only unknown was how far the dragon's restraints would let it fly, but I soon found out it was irrelevant."

"Dad," Daphne intervened, "Harry flies as if he was born on a broomstick. I'm quite sure that even Viktor Krum can't fly better. You should have seen him catching the snitch. He's simply the best."

Cygnus went back to the main topic. "Didn't you try to take a vow about not having put your name in the goblet?"

"They wouldn't listen. Dumbledore even said it was irrelevant, although he said he believed me, and Crouch said that once I was chosen, it was a magical contract and I couldn't get out of it without losing my magic."

"That doesn't sound right. You've already been taught that the main ingredient in Magic, especially in magical contracts, is the intent. Without intent, there's no magic at all. Yet maybe it turned out for the better, as you're now emancipated and recognized as Lord Potter. It may even help you survive the tournament, as you can lawfully require that whatever task you're put in should not endanger your life or your magic. The other contestants wouldn't mind the additional safety, I'm sure."

"I'll have to look at it," Harry promised, "but if I can help save lives, my own included, I'll certainly do it.

* * *

 ** _Please Review!_**


	5. New Year Ball

**5 New Year Ball**

Harry hoped that was enough, yet the Greengrass parents also wanted to hear about his childhood. "Your parents didn't want you to stay with your aunt for a reason. I wonder what it was. Can you tell us about your time with her?"

There was no way he could avoid answering. Harry sighed. "It wasn't good. They... hate magic, and as I was clearly magical..."

Daphne held his hand tight, as if reassuring him of her love, no matter what. Her parents tried not to pry, yet insisted on getting the full story, their expressions turning somber as the story progressed. "So, after Hagrid's visit, they kept their distance from me and were quite eager to take me to the train station, hoping I never come back," he finished.

There was silence for some time. Daphne hugged him, her eyes full of tears, just as her mother's. Her father looked determined, though. "You don't need to go back there. Ever. Then you have your own possessions, where you can live after school. You don't need their puny house nor their prejudice. I'll have some harsh words with the headmaster about this, you can be sure!"

Astoria was eager to find out about the conversation she was not allowed to take part in. Daphne thought this should not be a secret, but she still thought Harry needed to agree. This was his story to tell, not hers.

"You can tell her, if you want. I don't like speaking about this, but it's not really a secret," Harry told her.

That resulted in both girls asking Harry to teach them the Patronus charm.

\/\/\/\/

Harry was unsure about his teaching ability. He knew Hermione could teach well, and probably Daphne too, but he? He had never tried to teach anybody, yet that was what his fiancée and her sister expected of him. He knew he would try his best. He wasn't sure if that would be enough.

Daphne led him to a room in the basement. "This is where we can practice casting spells. This room has some wards, protecting any casting inside it from being detected by the ministry, or anybody else for that matter. It also has some magic-absorbing shields to protect the building. I don't think we shall need them for this, though."

The room was quite large. There was a pile of stuff in one corner, but the rest was bare. "That stuff is for creating different practice targets when needed," Daphne explained. "We don't need that either, for now."

Harry had to first demonstrate his patronus for Astoria. She was delighted to pet the silvery apparition, just like her older sister. Harry then repeated the explanation he'd been given by Remus. "Luckily, by that time I already had friends, and I used memories of their friendship to power the patronus. Now I have even better ones for that." He smiled brightly at Daphne, who smiled back.

Both girls tried. Daphne managed to produce an amorphous silvery cloud that lasted several seconds. Astoria's efforts were only rewarded with a silvery wisp that vanished almost as soon as it appeared. "Lupin said it was NEWT level," he tried to console the younger girl. "He was quite surprised that I managed it."

"Well, you were about my age then, so I should be just as able," Astoria insisted.

He saw that Daphne refrained from saying what she wanted to. He tried to explain some more. "You must concentrate on your best memory when saying the spell. Any distraction may prevent it from working."

After another hour of constantly trying, Daphne was finally able to produce something that looked vaguely like a four-limbed animal and lasted a bit longer than her first one. Astoria, to her great frustration, didn't improve much. Her casting resulted in some silvery wisps that kept a bit longer, but nothing even remotely like a patronus.

"You may need to find another memory, or maybe just to grow up a bit before you can cast it well," Harry told her.

She looked stubbornly at him. "If you could do it in your third year, why can't I?"

"You're second year, dear," her sister reminded her.

Astoria huffed and left.

"She's going to practice that spell until she masters it," Daphne told him. "I hope she can do it before the end of the day, or we may face a tough problem. Now, why don't you revive my best memories with a kiss?"

Harry complied willingly. When Daphne tried again, after a long snog, her patronus got the distinct shape of a doe. It still lasted only a few seconds, though.

"I think that's more than good enough for today," Harry said. "You shouldn't exhaust yourself. We shall practice more, until you can produce it whenever you want to. Hopefully, you'll never really need it."

Astoria looked exhausted when she joined them for dinner, but she managed to smile triumphantly.

"You did it?" Daphne asked.

"Yes. My patronus is a big dog. It only lasted a second, but I'll practice to make it last much longer."

"I suggest you refrain from practicing too much until the ball, You wouldn't want to look exhausted and miss all the fun, would you?"

It felt very different, getting ready for this ball than the previous one, despite their proximity. Harry had been the youngest, unexpected champion at the Yule Ball, intending to surprise the whole school with his date. Now, he was getting ready for a different surprise. As planned in cooperation with Daphne and her parents, they intended to make their relationship formal, announcing their engagement during the New-Year Ball.

As advised by Daphne, Harry had bought new dress robes of highest quality and had his house crest sewn under his left shoulder, making it clear that he was the Head of House Potter, in addition to the Lord ring he was wearing. He also bought white shirts of pure silk and elegant dragon-hide shoes. Daphne made sure his appearance would make the distinct impression of a wealthy lord in his prime.

He spent the morning of the last day of the year rehearsing his announcement and tweaking the text until he was certain to say it right and make the right impression. Daphne helped him, of course.

"Are you ready?" he heard Cygnus knocking at his door.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Harry said, opening the door.

Cygnus scanned him approvingly. "Many a young lady will feel envious of Daphne for having you as her betrothed. You look really nice."

Harry blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, Dad."

"No need to thank me. You deserve it. Now, shall we find the ladies?"

They were all in the master bedroom, finishing their preparations for the ball. Lady Greengrass looked very elegant, as did Astoria, although in a different way. Harry admired the younger girl, thinking that she would soon become just as beautiful as his fiancée. Yet his eyes were attracted mostly to Daphne. Her dress was more elegant than the one she had worn at the Yule ball and a bit more daring, showing a hint of cleavage, but he didn't even notice that. He concentrated on her face, which beamed with happiness, joy and expectation, looking more beautiful than he had ever seen her. The smile she directed at him when he entered the room made his breath stop for a moment. She was magnificent! Harry thought he was very lucky to have this young woman as his betrothed and swore internally to work hard to be worthy of her.

"Are you ready?" he heard Cygnus ask.

"I am!" Daphne chimed, taking Harry's hand and kissing his cheek lightly, making him blush.

"You look magnificent!" Cygnus told his wife, "and you too," he waved at his daughters. "Don't you agree, Harry?"

This brought Harry out of his slight shock. He breathed deeply and answered, "They are all fabulous!"

Daphne smiled at him, as if confirming this to be the right answer. "You also look quite dashing," she added, making Harry blush deeper.

Stella inspected her family quickly, brushing off some invisible wrinkles and straightening the men's ties. "Let's go! Our guests are due soon," she said, winding her arm with her husband's. Daphne did the same with Harry, while Astoria was left to follow them alone.

Only the parents welcomed the guests, which was a relief for Harry, as some of the guests were not exactly his cup-of-tea. As a "neutral" house, the Greengrass invited both light and dark guests, if only for the show. Harry was glad he didn't have to greet the Malfoy, Nott, and a few other of the guests. He was much happier seeing Madam Bones and the Tonks family among the guests and a few other faces he thought he recognized. Daphne kept him busy, introducing some of the younger people among the guests and mainly dancing.

Some time after all of the guests had arrived, Cygnus walked a few steps up the stairs and faced his guests. He waited for the noise to calm down before talking. "It is with great pleasure that I now announce the engagement of my eldest daughter, Daphne, to a young man you've all heard about. He is kind and powerful and quite good looking. Please welcome my future son-in-law, Lord Harry James Potter!"

There was a moment of silence, as the news was comprehended by the audience. Madam Bones was the first to applaud, and was soon joined by the rest, not all as enthusiastically.

Harry held Daphne's hand and they both mounted the stairs, standing besides her parents. He could see the curiosity on most faces. Some seemed to be content, like Madam Bones and the Davies couple. Few showed barely masked hostility, like Malfoy and Nott. He knew that Daphne and her parents would not be able to claim neutrality now, as they firmly associated themselves with the light. The three were scanning the audience, noticing any unfriendly face and committing it to memory. This could help at later times. Right now, Harry needed to address the audience.

"You're probably all wondering about us," he started. "Let me tell you that I've noticed Daphne since we first arrived at Hogwarts. She's certainly the most stunning girl there. As we're in what is considered rivaling houses, we didn't have much chance to know each other. The Yule Ball gave us the opportunity. I needed Daphne to teach me how to dance properly, if only to protect her toes." The audience chuckled in understanding. "This gave us a good chance to get to know each other. She invited me to spend the winter vacation here, and that made me decide. I'm very glad that she accepted my proposal and I hope to never disappoint her. We both wish you all a very good year!" Harry lifted their hands, which were entwined, showing off Daphne's engagement ring. The audience applauded. He noticed some flashes but payed no attention to them.

Dancing resumed, yet the young couple could barely dance. It seemed like everyone present wanted to congratulate them personally. Even Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy congratulated. Harry was surprised to feel that Narcissa's congratulations were sincere, unlike her husband's. Most women also asked for a closer look at the engagement ring, and Daphne was proud to show it, enjoying the gasps and the somewhat envious looks.

It was soon midnight. Harry held Daphne tight, just as she was holding him. As the clock struck midnight, they put their lips together into a long and passionate kiss. They separated only when hearing some cat-calls and a severe coughing from Cygnus's direction. "Happy new year!" they congratulated each other with big smiles on their faces.

The guests started leaving a bit later. Luckily, nobody expected Harry or Daphne to say goodbye, as both were already too tired from dancing and from all the excitement. They retired to the family wing, just as Astoria had done immediately after midnight.

"You know, as your fiancée, I could spend the night with you, if you insisted," Daphne told him, a bit of worry creeping into her voice.

"Do you want to?" he asked her.

Daphne blushed. "I keep thinking of how our first time may be, yet I'm still not ready for it. I don't think we need to wait until we're married, but I think I'd like to stay a virgin until my sixteenth birthday. Do you mind?"

It was Harry's turn to blush. "I'm not sure I would have really known what to do, had you decided to sleep with me. I don't feel ready for it and I don't want us to rush into anything, although," a bit of mischief crept into his voice, "judging by the speed our relationship advanced until now, one could never tell."

She smiled, showing her relief. "I'll help you learn all you need to know when we both feel it is time. Until then, we really don't need to rush." Her smile turned coy. "Now, do I need to beg for a goodnight kiss?"

Harry engulfed her in a tight hug. "Never!" he said, starting another long and passionate kiss.

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	6. Train

**6 Train**

They arrived at the train station early, using the Floo. Harry was proud to finally emerge on his feet and not stumble. Well, almost. He admired how gracefully Daphne came out, though.

They found a compartment and settled in, expecting a long, boring ride, although being together removed most of the "boring" from the description. Daphne snuggled to Harry and opened a book, Harry was also holding a book Daphne had chosen for him, but he wasn't really reading, his mind wandering back to the ball and how nice it was holding his fiancée for the whole evening.

Harry tensed as the door slid open, his hand jumping close to his wand, yet he relaxed as soon as he saw the person at the door.

"Neville! I didn't know you went home for the new year!"

Neville smiled. "I almost didn't make it in time to the train. I had to wash and comb on the train. I then started looking for you." He smiled teasingly now. "You looked quite cute sleeping together. I'm sure you'll agree when you see Colin's photo."

"He took a photo of us?"

"Of course, to complement his collection from the Ball. You did make an impression, you know."

Harry felt uncomfortable. He had never wanted that kind of attention, but he somehow ended getting it nevertheless.

Neville turned to Daphne. "Miss Greengrass, let me congratulate you for your engagement to my friend here. He may be a handful at times, but you won't have a dull moment with him."

"Thank you, Scion Longbottom. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of Harry's friends, and you may call me just Daphne in private."

"Then, Daphne, please call me Neville. I must say that you looked breath-taking at the Yule Ball, and just as impressive at the New-Year Ball. Harry is lucky to have you."

"Well, thank you, Neville. You looked quite dashing at the Ball as well. Was it the young Weasley who was your date?"

"Yes. She was quite nice to talk to and to dance with."

Harry joined the conversation. "Neville, you were not present at the New-Year Ball. How do you know about Daphne?"

"It was on the first page of the Prophet." He used air quotes to recite the headline: " _Greengrass eldest engaged to The Boy Who Lived!_ " His tone returned to normal. "There were photos of you two dancing at both balls and a close-up on Daphne's ring. May I see it?"

Daphne moved her hand closer and let the ring become visible. Neville looked at it attentively. "I'd say it's price could buy a nice house. Where did you buy it?" The question was directed to Harry.

"It was just one of the rings in my vault and I thought it looked nicer than the others. I have no idea how much such a ring may cost."

"Wow, Harry! My gran said that such a ring was no burden to a Potter, but still..." He was silent for a moment. "You haven't yet told me how you came to be together. It was a real surprise to everybody."

Harry smiled. "Not everybody. Hermione knew. She even helped us in a way."

"What do you mean?"

Harry had already discussed it with Daphne. He knew she wouldn't like to tell the real story, so they had another, as close to the truth as possible. "You know I like some challenges. Hermione was already telling me that Daphne was different than most other Slytherins, and you surely noticed how beautiful she is." Neville blushed a bit at those words.

"Well, I thought that if I needed a date for the Ball, why not someone beautiful and unexpected? I was actually surprised that she agreed, but only after I consented to let her teach me how to dance. You saw the results at the Ball."

"But why did you agree?" Neville asked Daphne.

"Well, I knew Harry could look quite nice in the right clothing and I wasn't interested in any of the Slytherin boys. They just remind me of trolls, mostly. Harry proved to be talented enough at dancing and very considerate as a date."

"Still, you barely knew each other two months ago and now you're already engaged. That's really fast."

Daphne frowned, resuming her "Ice Queen" persona. "Are you suggesting some foul play?"

Neville paled and lifted his hands, as if in surrender. "I'm not suggesting anything, but some people may say such things out loud. The article in the prophet even asked how this could happen so fast. Some of my class mates may not be very subtle about it."

Daphne looked at Harry as if asking for approval. He nodded almost invisibly. Daphne relaxed. "Nev, whatever we're going to tell you should not be told to anybody else, not until we decide to make it public. Do you understand?"

Neville nodded. "I'll keep your secrets to the grave, if needed. Do you want me to take an oath?"

"No, your word is good enough." She stopped to regroup her thoughts. Harry pressed her hand reassuringly.

"You see, my mother was a good friend of Lily Evans, who later became Lily Potter. The Potters had always had a large part in my family's business as well. I was born only a few weeks after Harry. Our parents thought that it would be a good idea to make a contract for us. It is not really binding, though. If we decide to cancel it, there's no real penalty. Yet I was furious when I found I had a contract and didn't even listen to the details. It was only lately that I found out, so it was natural for me to get to know Harry a bit better, and he also had shown some interest in me. It flowed on from there."

Neville smiled broadly. "It's good to see you both happy, especially Harry. He hasn't had much happiness in life, you know."

"I know," she said darkly.

"What do you intend to do at school?" Neville asked, wanting to change the mood.

"We haven't thought about it. I didn't know about the article in the Prophet. That complicates everything," Harry said.

"There was also a previous article, describing the Yule Ball, where you two were also mentioned as an item, you should know."

"Why didn't your parents mention it?" Harry asked Daphne.

She shrugged. "Maybe they wanted Lord Potter to handle the situation, trusting you to act as needed, following my advice, of course." There was a tone of mischief in the last few words.

"I will surely need your advice," Harry agreed, "and yours too, Neville."

They spent another hour discussing the options they had. Harry didn't know much about them, but Daphne was fluent with "Hogwarts – A History" as much as Hermione, and Neville's knowledge about the laws governing Noble families surprised even Daphne. Eventually, Harry summed it all: "So, using my Lord privileges I may request private lodging and then I can ask for my betrothed to be with me for her protection. Is that all?"

"Basically, yes. You can also leave school at your will to handle whatever business you have, not needing any approval. You just have to hand your homework on time and pass the exams," Daphne agreed.

"But will you be protected enough? Your house mates may still act nastily with you when you're going from or to a lesson or during meals," Harry worried.

"I'll be fine. Most know they need to keep away from me, or else... The others will learn painfully soon. I also have Potions and Charms with you, for extra protection."

Neville looked pensively at her ring. "I'm not sure, but I think your ring may also serve to pass messages to your betrothed. Do you have the other ring?" The question was directed at Harry.

"Yes, they were both in the same box and I wasn't sure why. The other ring is a simpler masculine version of hers. See?"

Harry took a small box from his pocket and opened it to show the ring within.

"Wear it! This ring will let you communicate almost like soul bound couples. You'll be able to sense each-other's feelings and maybe even some thoughts. It could be very helpful for protection. If you look in the library section of your vault, you may find some book explaining these rare rings." Neville sounded enthusiastic.

Harry put the ring on. It flashed once and adjusted to his finger, and then scanned him with the now familiar circle of light.

"The first time I put the Lord ring on, it also scanned me, but it stopped several times and flashed different colors," Harry said. "It also healed my scar."

Neville nodded, as if acknowledging his words. "Maybe I should also take the Lord ring. Gran says I'm too young, though. Maybe the heir ring should be enough."

"Why do you need it?" Harry asked.

"It may give him protection similar to the Lord ring, and if his magic was bound – it would remove the binds, along with any other spell cast on him," Daphne explained, her tone reminding him of Hermione.

"Shouldn't I try to protect Hermione as well? She's been my friend since first year. Whoever bound my magic and put other spells on me, may have done the same to her."

Daphne frowned. She knew about this friendship. She wasn't sure what it meant, though. Would Hermione become a sister-like friend or would she turn to be a rival for Harry's attention? Yet the girl had encouraged her to become close with Harry and seemed fine with it. She just didn't know.

"Maybe you can find a promise ring or a friendship ring in your vault that can remove those binds as well?" she suggested.

"I'll see what I can do," Harry said.

"I can give her an engagement ring, if she accepts it," Neville said, blushing deeply.

"Neville?!" both looked at him with surprise.

"Well, you see, she helped me find my toad during our first train ride. She's been helping me with my studies ever since, and I kind of like her, though I'm not sure she likes me."

Harry was confused. He didn't know anything about Hermione's feelings. He was barely aware even of her helping Neville with his studies. 'I should pay more attention to what is happening around me,' he admonished himself.

"Oh, she likes you, I'm sure," Daphne said.

"How do you know?" both boys asked.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "She spends a lot of time with you, doesn't she? She doesn't spend much time with other boys in your class, does she?" Harry wasn't even sure of the answers, yet Neville blushed.

"She spends a lot of time with Harry and Ron," he said, after a short pause.

"Well, I believe she treats Harry like a brother. She loves him and cares for him but has no romantic interest in him."

"What about Ron?"

"Do you think she would have shown any interest in Ron, had he not been so close to Harry? Don't they argue all the time? Ron's certainly not what a smart girl like her is looking for in her mate."

Seeing Neville so uncomfortable about the subject, Harry tried to speak of something else. "Have you finished homework on charms?"

"Yes, it wasn't too hard, and I've found a good book about those charms in our library at home. I'm still no good at casting it, though."

"Can you show me?"

Neville took his wand with a slight grimace. He pronounced the charm perfectly, and his wand movements were exemplary, yet nothing happened, except for a puff of white smoke coming out of his wand. "It's no use! I should give up. I'm a failure..."

Daphne seemed to be thinking of something. "Can you cast 'Lumos'?"

Neville nodded. He cast the spell, making the tip of his wand light faintly.

"Care to try it using my wand and then Harry's?" she asked, offering him her wand.

Neville shrugged. He repeated the casting, using Daphne's wand. The tip lighted brightly, adding some light to the compartment, despite the daylight pouring through the windows.

"Try mine now," Harry said, offering his wand.

It wasn't as bright this time, but still much brighter than when using his own wand.

"Do you understand what it means?" Daphne asked.

"My wand's no good?" he offered.

"Not necessarily. Where have you bought this wand?"

"I didn't buy it. This wand used to be my father's. Gran thought it was good enough for me as well."

"Your gran seems to have forgotten something important," Daphne said sternly. "As old Olivander says, the wand chooses the wizard. This wand has chosen your father. There's another somewhere which is waiting for you. I believe that if you find your own wand, your performance in class would be much better."

She cast "Lumos". Her want tip brightened nicely, but wasn't as bright as it had been when Neville cast the spell. "You see, even with a wand that didn't choose you but was only slightly better suited, you managed to cast a very powerful light. Once you find your right wand, I'm sure you'll become a very powerful wizard, making Hermione proud of you."

"You're sure?" he asked, his low self esteem showing.

She smiled reassuringly at him. "Neville, you're becoming a very good looking young man. You're smarter than you let show and now we know you're quite powerful. Had I not been with Harry, I would have thought of you as a good boyfriend material."

He blushed at her words. "But I'm still stuck with this wand," he finally said.

Daphne smiled mischievously. "I'm sure that if Lord Potter needs you to accompany him to London for a few hours, nobody will stop you. Actually, he may also need Hermione's company and mine. We could make it a double date."

Neville now smiled in relief. "We can do it during the weekend, though. I think that's going to be a Hogsmeade weekend, so we can go out without attracting attention and Floo to the Leaky Cauldrun from there."

"Very good thinking!" Daphne complimented him.

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	7. Lord

**7 Lord**

Ron was still grumpy and distant, not saying anything when Harry, Neville and Daphne finally arrived at the Great Hall. Daphne kissed Harry's cheek before joining the Slytherin table. Neville chose the vacant seat adjacent to Hermione and Harry sat on her other side.

"How was it?" Hermione asked Harry.

"It was perfect!"

She smiled. "You didn't waste any time, though. I've read you're already engaged."

Harry's smile widened. "Yep!"

Neville cleared his throat hesitantly. "Hermione, can we talk privately after dinner?"

She turned at him, smiling widely. "Sure, Nev. I've been a bit lonely without you two here."

"I should have invited you to visit during the holiday. It was just... this Yule Ball made me forget. You know how forgetful I am."

"Well, we need to work on that..."

Harry enjoyed dinner with his two friends, that is – until he saw Crabble and Goyle standing up and putting their hands on Daphne's shoulders. He wasn't sure how he arrived at her side, as he didn't remember walking or running, yet even before he reached there, both bullies were lying on the floor, clutching their arms.

"Are you alright, Daph?" he asked worriedly.

"Of course. Why shouldn't I be?"

"Well, these two..."

She smiled at him with evident mischief. "Oh, they certainly aren't alright. I'd suggest somebody take them to the hospital wing, if anybody even cares about them, yet only after they apologize, or nothing will help them."

"What did you do?" he asked quietly, fearing to be overheard.

"I did nothing. You can see I don't even have my wand ready. It's still tucked somewhere inside my robes. It's just the protection given to me by my Potter engagement ring. Malfoy thought it was a joke, but he didn't dare try it. He sent these two instead."

By now, Snape was approaching as well. "Potter, what did you do?"

"I've just come here to speak with my fiancée. I believe it is within my rights, especially as it doesn't interfere with any school activity."

"What happened to them, then?"

Daphne was the one who answered in a sweet tone, "Malfoy didn't believe that the Potter engagement ring could give me any protection, yet he was too afraid to check it himself. He sent them to grab me. He should have known better."

"I still don't understand what you did to them," Snape said irritably.

"I did nothing. As soon as they put their hands on my shoulder, trying to force me go with them, they started screaming in pain. I don't know anything else." Daphne's tone was still sweet and light as if she was talking about sugar puffs.

Snape glanced at her ring and shot a glance at Harry's ring as well, paling quite a bit. He then turned to the two on the floor. "This will serve to teach you a lesson. Now, I believe you should apologize for your rudeness and then hurry to the hospital wing, or your pains may get worse."

Both boys were helped by some others to rise to their feet. Each mumbled a quick, "I'm sorry. I should have known better than try to force you," and then were escorted to the hospital wing. Snape still looked furious, but as both Harry's and Daphne's wands were not in their hands, he just left, his robes billowing behind him.

Harry escorted Daphne back to the Slytherin dormitories. "Are you sure you'll be safe there?" Harry asked her.

"I'm sure. This ring gives excellent protection and I would have been quite safe even without it. You don't need to worry about me."

"You've become the most important person in my life. How can I not worry for you?"

"More important than Miss Granger?" she teased him.

"Hermione is like the sister I never had. You are my love, my future mate. There's no competition, as I see it."

Harry didn't know why she suddenly kissed him passionately, before parting at the door.

He was almost back to Gryffindor dormitories when he heard a familiar voice, "Mr. Potter, the headmaster would like to see you now."

He turned to face his head of house. "Sure, professor. Would you come along?"

"If you wish me to," she said.

"Well, we shouldn't let the headmaster wait," he said merrily, starting to walk besides her.

"Ah, Mr, Potter, I'm glad you could come, or is it Lord Potter now?"

"Mr. Potter would do, unless this is something formal," Harry replied lightly, trying to mask his mistrust of the man.

Dumbledore waved the two to sit before proceeding. "It is my duty to inform you that as a Lord, you are entitled to your own quarters if you want them. I've already instructed the house elves to make a few ready, so you may choose, if you wish."

Harry smiled weakly. "I think this can wait for tomorrow or even later. Right now, I feel no need for such lodging, but this may change in a matter of minutes if I feel anybody important to me is threatened in any way. Besides, I'm sure my dorm mates want to hear some more details about my vacation."

"Do you mind to enlighten us as well?"

Harry didn't really care to tell any of them. None had been too supportive lately, if ever. "I'm too tired to tell it twice. I don't care if you join me to the dorms and listen there."

It was evident that none liked his answer, yet this wasn't really school matters so they had no say about it. McGonagal spoke first. "Very well, I'll escort you, as it is after curfew, and stay to listen, if you don't mind."

Back at the common room, it looked like everybody was waiting for him. Hermione was sitting besides Neville, their hands barely touching, yet both looked happy and content. Ron looked grumpier than usual and wouldn't even look at Harry, yet most others seemed just curious, and a few looked envious.

As expected, it was Parvati who asked first, "Harry, how did you and Greengrass became an item?"

Harry smiled at her and mounted two steps up the stairs, so that everybody could see and hear him. "You know I like challenges, don't you?" This seemed to relax the atmosphere a bit. "I thought that if I needed to go to the ball, I might as well do it with style. Any Slytherin would have been a surprise, and I chose the most inaccessible, the one even her house-mates keep their distance from. Surprisingly, she found the idea amusing and didn't even try to hex me." This was rewarded with a chuckle in the audience.

"She still had to help me learn how to dance properly, as the dance lessons we all got were just too basic for her taste. As you could see at the ball, she taught me well."

He now turned serious. "We became closer during these lessons, until she eventually invited me to come visit her family after the ball. I agreed."

"Didn't you fear it was just a scheme to hurt you or even kill you?" Seamus asked.

"Miss Greengrass was ready to give me a magical oath that neither she nor any of her family had any bad intentions. Besides, after so much time spent learning how to dance, she already had more than one chance to hex me to oblivion. I decided to trust her, and this resulted in the best new-year I've ever had."

"Are you really engaged now?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, I am. It was during the ball that I found out I really cared for her as more than just a dance partner, and as we spent more time during the vacation, it became clear to me."

"Are you really a Lord?" Colin asked.

"Yes, but it's different than the Muggle Lords you've read about. As the only living member of my house, I'm by default the Head of House, and as the Potter house is one of the Most Noble and Ancient houses, I'm entitled to be called Lord, yet you can all call me Harry, just as before, unless it is a very formal occasion."

"Are you sure it is love and not some love potion?" Romilda asked.

"As soon as I put my Lord ring on, it removed any spells cast on me and any other magic used on me in any other way. It didn't change my feelings, so I'm sure they are genuine."

"Don't you need to be adult before becoming a Lord?" Hermione asked. He was sure it was just so that he could tell the others.

"Yes, one needs to be adult before taking his lordship. Yet, by forcing me to participate in this tournament, the Ministry practically declared me an adult, so I could claim my rights as an adult."

While most students only snickered at the humor of the situation, Harry noticed that McGonagal gasped. He would need to talk with her again, he thought.

Harry answered a few more questions before stating he was too tired to answer any more. He then sat down near Hermione and Neville.

"It went quite well," Neville told him.

"How did it go with you two?" Harry asked.

"Very well," Neville said, taking Hermione's hands in his. "I'll need to visit Gringotts to take an engagement ring from my vaults for her."

"Don't forget to take the heir ring for you as well," Harry said.

\/\/\/\/

Although he didn't give it much thought during his vacation, Harry still remembered what he had learned about house elves and specifically, about Dobby. He had no time to deal with that the first day, but on the second, he had a free period when Daphne (and Hermione) had a class. He thought this was a good time for the task. He found an unused classroom and called, "Dobby!"

The little house elf popped into the room a moment later. "The Great Harry Potter Sir calls Dobby! What can Dobby do for The Great Harry Potter Sir?"

Harry sat on the floor, to be at eye level with the elf. "Dobby, I need you to tell me the truth. Are you happy being free?"

Dobby seemed uncomfortable with the question. He thought for a moment and then said, "Dobby is happy to be free of nasty master."

Harry didn't relent. "But are you happy being free, with no master at all?"

Dobby could find no way to evade a direct question but give a straight answer. "Dobby thought that The Great Harry Potter Sir would find Dobby worthy enough to bond with. Dobby can understand if The Great Harry Potter Sir finds Dobby unworthy, yet Dobby needs a master. With no master, Dobby may not live much longer."

"So, do you want to bond with me? I promise to treat you well and let you free whenever you wish to."

A wide grin appeared on the ugly face of the house elf. "And why should Dobby ever want to be free of The Great Harry Potter Sir?"

Harry smiled and stood up. As Daphne had taught him, he put his hand on Dobby's shoulder and said, "I, Lord Harry James Potter, hereby bind the house-elf Dobby to me and my family for as long as Dobby would like."

His hand and Dobby's shoulder glowed for a moment, showing the acceptance of the magical bond.

Dobby lifted his eyes to Harry, who saw some tears in them. "Dobby is really happy to be found worthy of serving The Great Harry Potter Sir. Dobby will do his best to never disappoint The Great Harry Potter Sir."

Harry smiled. "Well, Dobby, my first order to you is to stop calling me by that long name. You should simply call me Harry, like all my friends do, as I consider you my friend tool."

Dobby seemed like he could cry of joy, momentarily unable to speak. Harry didn't wait, though. "For now, I suggest you continue working at Hogwarts, like you've done until now. I will call you when I need your services again."

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	8. London

**8 London**

That weekend, Harry, Daphne, Neville and Hermione were among the first to go to Hogsmeade. They made their way directly to the Floo at the Three Broomsticks and were soon at Diagon Alley.

"Shouldn't we go first to Gringotts? I need some money to buy a new wand," Neville asked.

"That should be fine. I also want Daphne to help me with mine," Harry said.

"How long would you need to spend there?"

Harry scratched his head in confusion. "I really don't know. There's just so much in there, that I can't make heads or tails of it. Let's say two hours?"

"It's about nine thirty now," Daphne noted. "Let's meet at the Leaky Cauldron at twelve. We may then decide how to proceed."

"Do you want to come with me to Ollivander's?" Neville asked them.

"No. I trust Hermione to keep your company," Harry said with a smile.

"Why don't you try Hephaestus, in Knockturn Alley? He creates custom-made wands which are supposed to work much better, although not for first-year students. I believe you're old enough for such a wand. I think Harry may benefit from such a wand as well," Daphne suggested.

"Do you use custom-made wand?" Hermione asked.

"No. Dad said he would buy me one when I reach sixteen."

"Then, I believe it may be too early for us as well. One from Ollivander's is less expensive and probably good enough for school work."

Daphne gave it a thought. "You're probably right. It only makes a difference when one needs every bit of magical power or for very delicate work. It should make no difference for us."

They parted, as each couple headed for another vault. Daphne was enchanted as she saw the Potter vault. "Harry, my parents' vault could be stuck here in a corner and you wouldn't even notice it. This one is **huge**!"

Harry shrugged. "Well, I don't even know what's in it. As far as I know, most of its contents could be just junk."

"No way!" she said. "Even ignoring the piles of money, there are ancient shields and weapons, many old artifacts that can be priceless, being so ancient. And I can also see some silver and gold tableware. Then there is that library section. Some tomes there seem to be very ancient. You have a fortune of knowledge here, Harry!"

"Should I ask Hermione to join us?" he teased.

Daphne didn't take it as teasing. "If you let Hermione and me roam here freely, only in the library section, we may spend years at it and never get bored."

Harry smiled. "Thank you for the warning, as this means I should be very careful about allowing either in here."

This finally had the expected effect. "Don't be so smug," Daphne told him with a slight frown. "Some of the knowledge in here could make the difference for you, once you meet your foe. You will need all the help you could get, and these books may just be what you need."

Harry became serious as well. "Then I think we should start with the books, as I don't care too much for the other stuff. Whatever its value, I don't seem to need it now or at any foreseeable future."

They spent most of the time there just browsing through books, trying to find those that could give Harry the advantage, yet there were too many and they didn't seem to be arranged in any particular order. The books were mixed, no matter what sorting key they tried.

"There must be some kind of order here, I'm sure. Even if my Dad wasn't a very organized person, Mom was, according to all I heard about her. Maybe..."

Harry seemed to contemplate an idea and then moved to the head of the row and started checking the books systematically. "I think I found the logic," he said a few minutes later.

"What is it?"

"The first few books have marked chapters or paragraphs. These are the ones we should probably read first. Then, there's a book on the second row down, which looks like it has an unsorted list of books, but if you use the spell found here," he pointed to the book in front of him, "then you can have them sorted by any key you want. By tapping the book's name in the list, its location appears. I think the next step would have been to summon the book automatically, but as they went into hiding, it interfered with this research."

Harry said the spell softly, touching the catalog, as he came to think of the other book. The list was suddenly sorted by difficulty and by subject. Daphne joined him to scan the list.

There were many books there, even for utmost beginners. Harry tried checking some on charms. They were simply written, yet gave more details and better insight on the charms they had learned during first year, and many additional charms, some even more useful, that were not taught at school. Another book, dealing with the basics of potions brewing was an eye opener even for Daphne. "This book may help me to finally surpass Granger in potions," she smirked.

Harry smiled with mischief. "I think I may then give Hermione a copy of this as well."

Daphne huffed for a moment and then broke into giggles. "Sure, she is your protector and partner just as much as I'm going to be. We shall need every bit of information to help you survive."

Another book detailed the process of creating duplicates and of keying them to a person. "We don't yet need this keying, as there's nothing extraordinary in these books, but we may need it when we reach the more advanced ones," Harry noted.

Daphne glanced at the keying process. "Look, there's no need for blood either. A drop of saliva or a bit of hair is more than enough." She then smiled mischievously. "You should make a copy of this, keyed to us both, and then show it to Hermione, don't you think?"

They left the vault with many books, some keyed only to them both, all shrunk to fit in Daphne's purse. Neville and Hermione were already waiting for them.

"You know, there's a huge magical library in Neville's vault. I wish I could visit it more often," Hermione told them.

"You could make some copies and take them with you," Daphne suggested.

"We actually did, but there are just too many!"

Daphne took Hermione's hand, "Let's see your ring!"

Hermione blushed. "I made it invisible. It's just too elegant for me to wear casually."

"May I see it?"

Hermione let her ring become visible. It was a magnificent ring, quite similar to the one Daphne was now wearing, only slightly less expensive, although one would need to be an expert to notice this. "Wow! It's wonderful!"

"But I can't let it show at all times. It makes me nervous just to think how expensive such a ring must be," Hermione said.

"You may make it look like a simple ring, if you want to, attracting less attention, but keep it always on. It gives you very good protection, and considering my housemates, you need it."

Hermione looked at her ring reluctantly. She then sighed and made it turn into a seemingly simple ring. "I like it, but this seems to be safer. If we go anywhere in Muggle London from here, I think you should do the same."

They did go to Muggle London. Hermione knew it well and guided the others. Harry, although no stranger to the muggle world, had never really visited London, due to his relatives. Daphne had visited more than enough, but mainly for shopping. She knew almost nothing about the other aspects of the capital city. It was all new to Neville. He had never visited the muggle world and was quite surprised by some of the things he saw.

They first stopped for a fast meal. Hermione took a chicken salad with plain soda. Daphne chose a low-fat chicken breast and a sweet drink. Harry persuaded Neville to order cheeseburger with fries and drink some cola, while he took a double-burger with fries, drinking cola as well.

"Is this what muggles normally eat?" Neville asked.

Hermione barely held her laughter. "No, silly! This is called 'fast food' and isn't really appreciated, but is very convenient when in a hurry. Children usually like it a lot, and we are still children, aren't we?"

Harry mock glared at her. "How dare you insult a Lord of..."

He couldn't even finish the sentence when he started laughing, not the least due to Daphne tickling him.

"I think we need to teach him about pizza as well," Hermione said, once the laughter subsided.

"Sure! We can order a large takeaway pizza and share it in the common room," Harry suggested.

"Don't you want me to share it as well?" Daphne asked.

"You are welcome to join us. Ron may object, but I don't think anybody else will," Harry suggested as the other two nodded agreement.

It was fun from then on. They strolled the streets, peeked into some stores and spent longer times at a music store and at a toys store, where even Hermione was fascinated by some of the more sophisticated toys, which were almost magical.

"You know, we could go to the cinema for a movie, or even go to the theater, if you like," Hermione suggested.

Harry knew exactly what she meant, despite never visiting either. Daphne seemed unsure, and Neville asked, "What are these?"

Hermione smiled. "The cinema is a bit like the magical paintings. It is a large screen on which you can see various stories playing, sometime with music as well. It is a very popular entertainment and not too costly. The theater gives you real people acting on stage, presenting a story, or a play, as it's normally called. The musical plays usually include some colorful costumes and dances and are very nice to watch."

"How long will it take?" Daphne asked.

"About two hours, or maybe even more, depending on what we choose."

Neville shook his head. "I don't feel like sitting for two hours. I'm almost too excited to sit at all."

Daphne nodded at his words.

"Would you like to take a Tour London bus? It can take us near to all tourist attractions and we can go down near any of them, walk a bit and then take the next bus to continue the tour."

The others agreed to this, as none had previously seen most of the sights. The crisp weather was also a welcome factor, allowing them to fully enjoy their day.

Night was already falling, and London turned its lights on, becoming almost a fairyland. Neville was most enchanted. "I didn't know muggles could do this. It looks almost more magical than Hogwarts," he said, watching the buildings along the Themes, most still decorated for the new year with multiple colored light chains.

Hermione wasn't pleased with his lack of knowledge on muggle life, though. "I'm going to invite you and your grandmother to spend the summer with my family, so you'll know what muggle life really is."

Neville smiled at her. "I don't know what my gran will say, but wherever you are is more than good enough for me."

It was turning late. They found a nice place for pizza, and then walked to the Leaky Cauldron to floo back to Hogsmeade.

As expected, nobody faulted Daphne's presence when she came along to share a few large pizzas with the Gryffindor fourth year students. Even Ron held his tongue at the sight of food, and Daphne could let go of her Ice Queen mask for most of the evening, although she didn't encourage close friendship with any of the others. Still, it was a pleasant evening, and Dean felt comfortable sitting there and explaining some muggle technology to both Neville and Daphne, with some others listening attentively as well. Harry felt really content.

* * *

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	9. Impostor

**9 Impostor**

Harry had mixed feelings about the DADA lessons. He liked the subject, alright, but the first two teachers of that subject had been useless. He liked Professor Lupin, only that teacher had to resign when his "little furry problem" was publicly revealed. As for Professor Moody, it was hard to form an opinion about him. When teaching, he was quite good at passing the knowledge he had to teach, yet Harry felt that Moody was enjoying too much speaking about dark arts, as if he preferred them over the defense. It was an unsettling thought, really.

Now, with his Lord ring on his finger, he had another reason to suspect Moody. Whenever that teacher was close to him, even just passing near him, his ring would get hot, almost too hot to keep on his finger. He was sure that meant something, only he didn't know what.

"Neville, do you know why my ring gets hot sometimes?"

Neville looked alarmed. "That's a clear warning that you are in danger. How hot does it get?"

"Almost too hot to keep it on my finger. Does your ring heat as well?"

"No, not much. It got warmer during DADA. I found it curious that it stayed cold during Potions."

"Mine got hot at DADA, especially when Moody was near me."

Neville didn't need to contemplate it for long. "Talk with Daphne. If her ring gets warm as well, it means that Moody is a danger for you both, although I fail to see how."

Daphne was also alarmed. "I hoped it was only my imagination, as I thought my ring got very warm during DADA. What can we do?"

Harry had no immediate answer. "I didn't feel I could trust him from the start, although he seemed to try to help me with the tournament. I don't like the way he drinks a few sips from his flask each hour. It looks very suspicious to me."

"The man has suffered many injuries during his life. He may need to take some potion," Daphne tried reasoning.

"Every hour? The only potion I know of that works for only an hour is the polijuice potion."

"And how would you know of that?" Daphne seemed almost furious.

Harry gulped. He didn't want to face angry Daphne any more than he wanted to face angry Hermione. A dragon seemed a better choice. "During second year... I'm not sure I've told you... Hermione brewed that potion. Ron and I used it to spy on Malfoy in the Slytherin common room, only to find he knew nothing of value."

"Who were you disguised as?"

"Crabble and Goyle."

"Oh!" Her face showed her opinion about the two. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I tried telling you all that was important. I may have forgotten some details. There was so much to tell..."

Daphne's face molded into a kind smile. "Of course, Harry. You had more adventures than many grown ups, but do try to tell me anything that comes to your mind."

"I'll try." He stayed silent for a moment. "What should we do about Moody?"

She only thought for a few seconds. "I'd try a switching spell, replacing the contents of his flask with something else. A quick acting sleeping potion would do nicely, I believe. If he really uses polujuice potion, he'll return to his true self. If it's something else, I'm sure Professor Snape will be able to identify it."

"When should I do it?"

She tried to think some more. "If he's an impostor, we should expose him when enough people are present. The second task should be a good time for that. Have someone do it before the task begins. That will assure that his identity is revealed before the task ends."

Harry wasn't sure whom to ask to do the switching for him. He didn't want either Daphne or Hermione involved – they were too important for him to put any at risk. He couldn't ask Neville or Ron, as both were not good enough with spells, although Neville was improving at an impressive pace since using the new wand. He then had another person in mind, or rather – two, who would be glad to perform any mischief.

He found the twins in the common room, trying to think up a new prank. "I have an idea for you," he told them, making both smile with delight.

He then went into details. "I suspect Moody is not the real person. I want you to switch the contents of his flask with a fast acting sleeping draught as soon as the second task starts. If my suspicions prove correct, he'll fall asleep and soon change to his true self. If not – it should cause no harm."

Fred seemed to enjoy the idea. "We have a fast acting sleeping potion. It can even be made to taste anything you'd like, and it acts within half a second. What should we do with the switched potion, though?"

"If it's polijuice, as I suspect, the impostor would be revealed a few minutes after he drinks and you need to do nothing at all. If it's something else, you can switch back as soon as you find out, leaving no sign of the prank."

"You really live up to the legacy of the Marauders, pranking a teacher," George said with evident admiration.

Harry left the details for them. He concentrated on the second task. The clue, once he heard it, was very clear, but very unsettling as well. As both Daphne and Hermione agreed, someone dear to the contestant would be taken hostage and placed at the bottom of the lake for the contestants to free. Beside the evident problem of the freezing weather, Harry had to find a way to breathe underwater for an hour. He was even more concerned with the identity of the hostages. Both Daphne and Hermione were obviously dear to him and he didn't want any of them taken hostage.

"You can use your Lord privileges to prevent then from taking anybody you don't approve," Neville told him.

"That may spare the girls, but they'll take somebody else. You are a good friend of mine – you could become my hostage, or Ron. I don't like the idea of hostages at all."

"You could claim us as well, or even all the Weasley students. I don't think they would take Dean or Seamus instead."

Harry frowned. No matter how he looked at it, he didn't like it at all. He didn't mind putting himself in danger, although he was much more apprehensive of that than before getting engaged, but he didn't want any other people to be endangered for the competition.

"Don't forget that if you insist on having to approve your hostage in advance, they have to give the other contestants the same privilege," Daphne reminded him. "It may prove beneficial to them as well."

This finally made Harry act. He asked to speak with the headmaster as Lord Potter. His request was granted immediately.

"What do I owe your visit to?" Dumbledore asked him.

"I believe it is within my rights as Lord Potter to request to approve in advance anybody you decide to place in the lake as my hostage."

"I assure you, Lord Potter, that the hostages will be completely safe."

"Hogwarts has a bad history of providing safety since I first came in. I won't trust it with anybody's safety in this case. As it's just a friendly competition, nobody except the champions should be involved."

"If I understand it correctly, you intend to approve no one as your hostage. That would jeopardize the whole task!" Dumbledore said, sounding alarmed at the idea.

"You know I didn't ask to take part in this tournament to start with and I couldn't care less about it. For all I care it could consist of three games of Gobstones to decide the winner. I will not approve of endangering any lives, and that's final!"

The headmaster sighed. "What would you suggest, then?"

Harry expected this question and had an answer ready. "You may use some dolls to symbolize the hostages, each marked clearly for the appropriate champion to 'rescue'. You should also make sure to remove anything that could potentially be life threatening from the path that the champions may take. They will still have to swim underwater for almost an hour, to find their way to the hostages and back. Just being exposed to the cold for so long is enough of a threat, I believe."

"I'm not sure the other..."

"I'm sure the other champions will appreciate the added security," Harry cut in.

Dumbledore sighed in defeat. "As you wish, Lord Potter. I hope this doesn't backfire, though."

Harry smiled, remembering his plans for the second task. "As watching the lake for an hour may not be too interesting, I suggest having some entertainment for the audience. The Weasley twins can do a great job at that."

"I'll consider this idea, Lord Potter."

It felt quite good to know he could make a change. With the twins supplying some entertainment, they would also have better access to the staff, farther aiding in finding what Moody was up to.

It went even better than he hoped for. Once the other champions heard of this, they all came to thank him and Cedric suggested that they all swim together, protecting each other as a group.

"My headmaster vill not like it," Krum noted, "but he can't tell me vat to do ven the task starts." He agreed to take part in the group.

While each champion jumped to the water on his (or her) own, they assembled together a short distance away, out of sight of the judges and the audience. Harry, being the youngest, took upon himself the task of keeping the others warm, for which Fleur seemed to be most thankful. They quickly reached the site of the hostage dolls, took each his assigned 'hostage' and swam back in the same formation, coming out of the water at once. Harry still stayed some more time in the water, as the gillyweed that he had used – courtesy of Neville – forced him to stay in the water for an hour, before its effect expired. He still enjoyed seeing the commotion when Moody fell asleep, soon turning into a different person. By the time Harry was out of the water, the man had already been taken away for investigation. Fred and George saluted Harry as he joined the Gryffindor group, where Daphne was waiting along with Hermione and Neville. She engulfed him in a tight hug and kissed him passionately, not minding the catcalls all around her. Neither did Harry.

The official version of what happened to Professor Moody was presented the next day at breakfast by Dumbledore. "It looks like somebody played a prank on Professor Moody, replacing the water in his flask with some prank potion. Whoever did this, forgot that the professor is not as healthy as he has once been. The prank potion, which should have affected him for only an hour or so, has put him in the hospital wing for a few days, according to what Madam Pomfrei is telling me. Until he recuperates, I will serve as your defense teacher."

Before breakfast was over, Professor McGonagall approached the Gryffindor table. "Lord Potter, the headmaster would like to meet you at your earliest convenience. He has something important to inform you. If possible, I suggest you meet him as soon as you finish breakfast."

Harry nodded approvingly. "Thank you, Professor. I'll be there after breakfast."

\/\/\/\/

"Ah, Lord Potter. I'm glad you could come on such a short notice," Dumbledore greeted Harry. He waited for Harry to sit down before continuing.

"As you probably know, Professor Moody collapsed yesterday, just before you came out of the water. Luckily, he was surrounded by staff members and hidden quite well from the students and from the visiting schools. You see, soon after falling asleep, he started changing, turning into a well known criminal – Barty Crouch Jr. whom everybody believed to have died a few years ago in Azkaban. He was promptly taken away and put into a safe room, where he was later interrogated by a few aurors in my presence."

Dumbledore sighed heavily and continued talking. "You were right in your assumption that somebody put your name in the goblet, and not for your benefit. He confessed to have put you in the tournament so that you could be forced to take part in a ritual to resurrect Voldemort. We have all the details and Madam Bones, head of the DMLE, promised to handle this personally. We're going to pretend that the fake Moody is still teaching, so that Voldemort's supporters will not know that their plan has been discovered. The real moody was found imprisoned in his trunk and needs to recuperate for a few days. At the set time – at the end of the third task, an auror will be sent to the appointed location, looking like you. Others will be positioned close by, to assure the results of this operation. You only need to give a few hairs for this to succeed."

Harry found it quite humorous, using polyjuice to trick the ones who used that same potion to trick him. "That sounds like a good program, as long as it's kept completely secret. Who knows of this program?"

"Only Madam Bones and I, initially, and now you know it as well," Dumbledore said.

"Good. Make sure it stays that way. I'll have a few hairs ready a few days before the last task."

"Of course, Lord Potter. It will be kept secret."

\/\/\/\/

Harry still had to answer a few questions. The twins had not been able to see exactly what happened, but had a good guess, as the commotion around Moody started only a few minutes after he fell asleep. And then there were Daphne and Hermione who needed to know.

"This is a Potter House Secret," he told the others, after they were all assembled in an unused room.

Daphne nodded approvingly. The twins grimaced. Only Hermione asked, "What's a House Secret?"

"It's almost like a magical vow. If you divulge the secret, the House Magic will punish you," Daphne explained.

Hermione nodded understandingly.

Harry looked at the twins. "It worked just as planned. Once he took a sip of the potion, he fell asleep. A few minutes later, he changed into a Death Eater who was supposedly dead. He was later interrogated under veritaserum and his plans for me revealed. The DMLE is now working to counter it and use it to finish Voldemort's threat."

"What happened to real Moody?" Hermione asked.

"He's been found and is recuperating. He's going to teach us once he's back in health. Nobody should know it's not the same person."

"What did that Death Eater plan?" Daphne asked.

"I'm not sure that I got all the details, but it wasn't something I would have enjoyed, of that I'm sure. I'd rather not even think of it."

"Are you safe now?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged. "Can I ever be sure of that? I can only say that I'm much safer than before. With the other champions ready to cooperate, I also feel safer about the last task."

They all smiled understandingly.

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	10. Final Task

**10 Final Task**

Madam Bones had not told this to her superiors. When taking Barty Crouch Junior from Hogwarts, she had interrogated him some more under Veritaserum. This gave her a list of all Death Eaters known to that man, along with the specific knowledge of what one needed to do to get the Dark Mark. She dearly wished she could safely wipe that knowledge from her mind.

Still, with the list ready, she thought it would be just right to finish off the master and his servants all at once. She first had to clean her own stable – get rid of some aurors who had been Death Eaters, yet she planned to do it close to the target date, not to attract premature attention. Until then, aside from doing her regular job and completing her plan, she also needed to find some trustworthy aids, to help her with it.

\/\/\/

Since getting his new wand, Neville was changing dramatically. The more spells he cast successfully, the more confident he became. Surprisingly, his newfound confidence helped him overcome his forgetfulness as well, although some would say that being so close with that Granger girl was the main cause. Whatever the reason, Neville was becoming much more prominent in classes. Even his Potions were becoming better, although he had yet to overcome his fears of Snape.

Harry was glad to see these changes. Neville was quickly becoming his best male friend, a much closer and much better friend than Ron had ever been. They soon created a small group, just the two boys and their fiancées, that studied together each day in the library and enjoyed the weekends together as well.

Ron was unhappy about this change. He confronted Harry one evening, as soon as he returned to his dorm. "What kind of a friend are you if you find no time to spend with me?"

Harry didn't need to think about his answer. "I'd say you just don't like to be with me. I always ask you to join us at studying or at doing homework, and you always decline. What kind of a friend are you, then?"

Ron grimaced. "You know I hate studies and homework."

Harry chuckled humorlessly. "Too bad for you. You know that school is mainly about studies and homework, don't you? Would you like to fail and be expelled?"

Ron looked extremely unhappy. "No, but..."

"Well, you must make up your mind. If you want to get your OWLs, at least, you must start studying more seriously and you're welcome to join us," Harry said, trying not to think of how much Ron would hold them back.

"But you're still with that snake!" Ron blurted.

This infuriated Harry. "Daphne is not a snake. She's a beautiful, kind, smart, and funny girl who's going to be my wife. Either you accept her as such or give up your friendship with me."

"So, you prefer that snake over me?" Ron asked, seemingly unable to believe what he heard.

"I already said so. Unless you change your attitude, we can't keep being friends." It was becoming hard to forget the way Ron had acted during the year, before the first task. Harry was no longer sure that Ron was a real friend at all.

Ron didn't answer. He just sat grumpily on his bed, probably trying to come to terms with what he'd been told. Harry didn't bother. Whatever Ron would decide was fine with him. Being with his three other friends, he didn't miss Ron at all. His new group was much more helpful with his studies and more fun to be with.

\/\/\/

On the last week of May, the champions were shown the maze that would serve for the last task. Harry didn't mind the maze too much. It wasn't too dangerous in itself, really. He was concerned about the other dangers, the different obstacles to be set inside it. He had a bad feeling that some of Hagrid's "pets" would be placed there, and most could become deadly.

"You may use your Lordship to assure that no deadly danger would be present in the maze," Daphne told him. Neville nodded in agreement.

"I don't like to use that privilege," Harry answered reluctantly.

"Would you rather face a Cerberus, a dragon or an acrumantula?" Hermione asked him. "Besides, if no dangerous creature is put in the maze, it will be much safer for the other champions as well," Hermione told him.

"Well, in that case..."

Once again, Harry spoke with Dumbledore. The headmaster was not surprised at the request, despite it being fully legitimate when coming from a Lord. Still, he had no alternative. "Nothing that could maim or kill would be placed in the maze," he promised. "Nor any creatures or plants that can hurt worse than a mosquito or a bee," he added on second thought.

"There must also be a simple way for taking the champions out of the maze, either when they encounter danger, as improbable as it may be, or when one reaches the center. No need to let the other waste their time and their powers for nothing."

Dumbledore nodded. "I'll have some portkeys made for the purpose."

"And I expect you to personally place the trophy at the center, making sure that it has not been compromised."

"Of course, Lord Potter," the old man said.

\/\/\/

Once again, the champions agreed to work together, once out of sight. Harry went first into the maze and then waited for the others. The rest was easy enough, as four wands could easily take care of any physical obstacle, and four minds were much better than one when the obstacles were of magical nature. The champions all touched the goblet placed on the pedestal in the center at once and were whisked in front of the judges' table.

While Dumbledore seemed delighted to see all four cooperating, Karakof looked furious and Madam Maxime seemed just confused. The Minister, who was there for the honor of presenting the prize to the winner seemed baffled by the fact that there was no winner. He was wondering why he always had to take the difficult tasks upon himself.

A single person appeared at the cemetery at Little Hangelton. The portkey had deposited him not too far from the grave of one Mr. Riddle. The adolescent brought by the portkey had black unruly hair and green eyes. He also had a prominent scar on his forehead, easily seen even in the little light provided by the fire under a huge cauldron, placed only a few paces away.

"Stun him!" a nightmarish voice said, as a short, fat man came out of the shadows. He had no time to act, as the boy had his wand ready and used that same spell to stun that man, and then tied him in heavy chains and magic-suppressing cuffs. He then took a small object out of his pocket, slapped it on the chest of the stunned man and said the activation phrase. The bound man vanished.

Some hissing could be heard between the bushes, where that man had come from. The boy didn't hesitate. He cast a few high-powered cutting spells and then set the bushes on fire. A shrill scream was heard, followed by some dark smoke coming out and scattered by the wind. Some slithering sounds seemed to move closer to the boy. He apparated aside and then sent a few more cutting curses at the source of the noise.

Sounds of several apparitions were heard, as a group of aurors arrived at the scene. The boy pointed them at the remains of the bushes. "Scan carefully. There may be some dark traps there. Shack, come with me!"

It only took a moment to find the severed snake. Its head was cut in two and it had some cut marks along it charred body. "You did well," the black auror told the boy.

They were soon joined by the rest of the group. One auror was holding a large plastic bag with the charred remains of what looked like a very malformed baby. Two others collected the remains of the snake into a similar bag. The boy checked his watch. "Let's move! We still have quite a bit of arrests to do tonight."

"Of course, director," Shack smiled before they all apparated away.

\/\/\/

Harry was delighted when he saw the headlines the next morning. "Several upstanding wizards arrested as Death Eaters" was the headline. The tournament was only mentioned in small print inside the paper, only informing the readers that all champions finished together, dividing the prize money between them.

Daphne updated him later in the morning. "It looks like all the Death Eaters that escaped justice by the 'Imperius' excuse were arrested last night and interrogated under Veritaserum. While they can't be judged again for the same crimes they were previously acquitted, they all revealed quite a few additional crimes and they no longer have the Imperius excuse, as it was revealed that one had to willingly accept the dark mark and also kill some people in order to get the mark. You may also notice that our Head of House is missing. I suspect he was arrested as well."

"How do you know all this?" Harry wondered.

Daphne smiled. "You know Dad has many connections, don't you? Many family members of the arrested contacted him, hoping he could help. He asked Madam Bones about it and got the full information." Her smile widened. "You may also be interested to know that many of those arrested confessed of bribing our esteemed minister, so he's spending his time under the same accommodations as them."

It took another day before some of that information was published, when Madam Bones held a press conference. "We have lately found that the supposedly dead Bartimeus Crouch Junior is still alive. When interrogated under Veritaserum, he disclosed the information of what was needed to take the Dark Mark, making it clear that it had to be accepted willingly and paid for in advance by committing some murders. This made the Imperius clause irrelevant. One of the Death Eaters captured is Peter Petigrew, who was also believed to be dead. He confessed of betraying the Potters and of framing Lord Black, who, so we found out, had never been put to trial. Therefore, it is within my authority to cancel the 'kiss on sight' order given by the minister and to change the status of Lord Black from 'prison fugitive' to 'required for investigation'. I hereby ask Lord Black to present himself to an auror and promise him that he would be fairly treated. We intend to interrogate him under Veritaserum, and if found innocent, as indicated by the facts we've already accumulated, then he will be given his position back and will be compensated for his illegal incarceration."

Harry could read no further, as his eyes teared up at the thought that Sirius would finally get justice and be able to live as he should – as a free man.

\/\/\/

The ride back to London was very joyful. Harry spent most of it in the company of Daphne, Neville and Hermione, although many more came to visit, to congratulate Harry for finishing the tournament or just to say Hello. The demise of the Death Eaters, the most vocal members of the dark faction, seemed to make many seek his company, being the symbol of the light faction. Harry didn't mind it too much, With Daphne at his side and Neville as his closest friend and ally, he felt confident about the future. He was looking forward to spending his summer with Daphne and her family, as well as joining with Hermione and Neville for a part of the summer vacation. He felt quite confident that Sirius would be free in a matter of days, becoming able to join Harry and Daphne for most of the summer.

He hugged Daphne closer and smiled. He could finally look forward to life, and it was all because he accepted… well, he reluctantly asked Daphne to be his date for the ball.

 **The End**

* * *

 **A.N.** Some of the readers may not like this point as end of the story, but I find it to be the right one. While I like to try variations on some ideas, I don't like to just write repetitive, uninteresting stuff, as continuing this story may turn. Besides, I have quite a few other stories that need completion before being published.

As usual, _**Please Review!**_


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